Dark Days
by hichigomate
Summary: Kagome and Sesshoumaru, allies, have been transported to a strange, new world by a creation of Naraku's. The taiyoukai is blinded by an attack, and they end up running into people far sooner than they planned. But are they friends, or foes? NOT Sess-Kag.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: For some reason, I just can't get away from the cross-overs! And this one'll be a little weird; I can assure you of that. But I keep dreaming scenes from it, so obviously I've gotta type it, or be driven insane. And no, again, I don't own Inuyasha, or the Carpathian novels. Oh, and REMINDER: Kagome is 17 when this story starts off.**

**Summary: Sesshoumaru and Kagome are now allies in the fight against Naraku. But, one day, they're flung into a portal by Naraku's newest creation, a creation which none of them can seem to combat. They're thrust into an unfamiliar world with creatures neither human nor demon, and Sesshoumaru's blind!**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 1**

"Inuyasha, Osuwari!" Kagome Higurashi's loud voice cut through the silence of the forest, forcing birds to take wing. A loud crash followed her yell, after which was an even louder curse.

"Dammit, wench, stop saying that!" The strong hanyou known as Inuyasha growled from his position in the Inuyasha-sized hole he was lying prone in.

"Don't call me "wench," Inuyasha! Osuwari! And don't curse around the children! Osuwari!" The Inuyasha-sized hole was now an Inuyasha-sized crater. Thankfully, Inuyasha merely growled again, instead of saying anything else.

Kagome sighed and turned to her other, human companions, the youkai slayer Sango and the houshi Miroku, her cerulean eyes still flashing with ire. "Sango-chan, will you help me with dinner? Miroku-san, would you please set up camp for tonight?"

Miroku nodded, his brown eyes catching Sango's own brown eyes, smirking. She blushed and looked away, her long black hair swishing in its pony-tail. She got out the packages of Ramen Kagome kept in her huge yellow bag, the only food they had at the moment. Miroku began setting up a barrier with his long golden staff, to ward of unwanted youkai visitors in the night. Kagome smiled and went over to the inu taiyoukai Sesshoumaru, who was Inuyasha's half-brother, although they hated each other immensely.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, will you hunt tonight? I've got extra Ramen for Rin-chan if you decide to."

Sesshoumaru looked at her with his cold amber eyes, the eyes of his powerful inu bloodline. Inuyasha had them as well, but his brother's were much more powerful and mesmerizing. He snorted, the two maroon stripes on his cheek moving with his mouth. "This Sesshoumaru will stay at camp tonight." Was all he said, his navy-blue, inverted crescent moon glinting in the waning light.

Kagome nodded and grinned, silently admiring the thick, silky hair that hung straight down past the knees of this great Adonis. It was a silver color, although looking at it, it appeared more white in color. It was smooth, unlike Inuyasha's rough, wild silver hair that didn't hang nearly half as long as his did. Kagome envied him for it, twirling a lock of her own inky black hair; it fell to just past her butt.

On Sesshoumaru's sash were his two swords; the fang of healing, Tensaiga, and the possessed sword that only Sesshoumaru could conquer, Tokijin. Tensaiga's brother fang, the fang of killing, Tensusaiga, hung on Inuyasha's fire rat haori. Both had cute fangs peaking from firm lips, and sharp claws tipping their fingers, although Sesshoumaru's, being the full blooded youkai, were sharper and bigger/longer.

Kagome sighed as she boiled Ramen for cooking, smoothing out her green school-girl outfit. (a/n: We all know what that looks like, and the clothes that everyone's wearing, so I'm not going to go into detail explaining them. They all look the same; use your imagination, for gosh's sake!) It was a secret, but Kagome did admire him from afar. But who could help it; he was a god in youkai skin; an ethereal beauty.

"Okaa-san?"

Kagome felt a tug on her skirt, and looked down at her adorable adopted son, the kitsune youkai Shippo. "Yes, Shippo, what's wrong?" She asked, smiling.

"I don't feel so good. Something smells...off." He told her, holding his stomach.

"Huh? "Off?" What do you mean?"

"He is correct, Miko. There is something wrong with the air." Sesshoumaru's deep, lyrical voice came from behind her, and she turned; she was never angry that he called her "miko," for it was more of a title from him.

"You mean, like miasma?" She grabbed her bow and arrows from her pack, just in case, but he shook his head.

"No. It smells like Naraku, but not like him." Although there wasn't any sign of it in his voice or on his face, she knew he was annoyed that he couldn't scent right away the danger.

Next to her, Shippo crawled up to her shoulder, and the fire cat, Kirara, hissed as she, too, scented danger.

"Kagome! Get out of the way!"

Kagome turned at Inuyasha's urgent shout, only to see a tentacle come out of nowhere and attack him. She was just going foreword to help him when she felt herself thrust aside, and heard a soft grunt from Sesshoumaru. Gasping, she looked up at him from her prone position on the ground, only to see his face covered in some kind of smoking slime stuff. (a/n: Sweet; alliteration!)

"Sesshoumaru! Duck!" She commanded without thinking, raising her bow to shoot an arrow full of her miko energy at the large tentacle coming towards the youkai.

Sesshoumaru growled and withdrew Tokijin, the evil energy spraying from the tip and melting the whole tentacle, even though he couldn't see anything at the moment. Mere feet from him, Miroku and Sango had their own hands full with some sort of creature; a giant spider with a human face, tentacles for legs, and a spray of miasma shooting from its abdomen. It appeared to be trying to get to Kagome.

"Kagome! Run!" Miroku called, pulling out five sutras and shooting it at the spider. It didn't seem to do anything, though.

The spider swung its head to face Kagome, who now stood next to Sesshoumaru, her body trembling with the energy emitting from Tokijin. "So, you are the miko, and that is the 'great' Sesshoumaru. You two don't look like much, but Naraku has commanded I get rid of you, so goodbye. Have a nice time spending eternity in the void." He spoke emotionlessly, his hand outstretched as a ball of...nothingness began to grow in his palm. It grew to about the size of a large excercise ball, before shooting out of his palm and towards the two of them.

Kagome shrieked and dove in front of Sesshoumaru, for some reason she didn't know, throwing Shippo out of the way before he, too, got caught in the ball of black that grew to encompass both her and Sesshoumaru as it passed through the air. She threw her miko power out around her, but there wasn't anything for it to purify, Fearful, her miko powers still flaring, she drew close to the taiyoukai, who growled threateningly as an unusual scent of...nothing, of complete cleanliness enveloped him.

The last thing Kagome heard before the darkness closed around her was Inuyasha's loud cry of, "Kagome! No!"

* * *

The first thing that returned to him was his sense of smell. He could smell the miko's scent, smoke and peaches, with the spicy undertone of her miko powers. He could smell the dirt under him; they were in what smelled like a clearing, with large pine trees and rich soil surrounding them. Then his hearing returned. He could hear birds calling to one another, the soft scratches of animals running across the earth. He could already feel pain; his whole face was burning from that sticky, slimy substance that youkai had thrown at him in the fight. He tried to open his eyes, and found they seemed to be stuck shut, due to the slime covering them.

He was blind.

**That's the first chapter! It seems so short, and I probably could have made the fight scene more detailed, but you know what, it's like 1:30 in the morning, and although I'm not tired, my back's hurting from sitting on this stool for so long. So excuse me if it's a little short, and the fight scene sucks. But please! Go ahead and tell me what you think! I enjoy reviews so very much, and flames will help keep me warm, because for some reason, it's freaking chilly all the time, and it's in the middle of fucking june! Excuse my language, and yes, please review for me.**

**Ayame**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing, and never will own nothing. If I did, Inuyasha would be full of more romance, Inuyasha would be dead along with Kikyo, and Kagome would be a youkai mate for Sesshoumaru and they'd have cute fluffy babies. Also, if I owned the Carpathians, well, it'd be the same. Yeah, probably. Enjoy the second chapter of Dark Days.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 2**

"Miko. Miko."

The deep, insistant voice crept through the layers of fog surrounding her mind, and Kagome groaned frustration. She hated being woken up!

"Miko, wake this instant!"

Kagome opened her furious eyes, only to find herself curled on her side, staring at the white pelt thing that hung on Sesshoumaru's shoulder all the time. A little confused, her eyes followed the trail of the fur up to his face, where she noticed that although the slime was no longer around his mouth or nose, it still caked his eyes. In fact, it was only over his his, trailing a thin path over the bridge of his nose. She gasped; that couldn't be good.

"Good; now that you are awake, perhaps you could remove this slime from my eyes. It seems to have caused a temporary blindness." And although he was blind, he was no less regal, no less the lord he was.

Kagome sat up carefully, feeling a muscle in her back protest, but she ignored it. Instead, she reached up her arms, intending to use her miko powers to purify the slime. The instant she touched it, though, she felt burned, and drew back with a small sound of alarm. She saw Sesshoumaru sniff the air, and frown slightly.

"You have burned your skin. What happened?"

"I-I don't know. It was the slime; I went to purify it, and it repelled me somehow!" She gasped, holding the injured hand.

He resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance. Useless. Ninjen were so useless. "Miko, if you cannot remove the slime, then make yourself useful in another way. This Sesshoumaru is going to see if he can wash the slime off this face; you can make sure he doesn't trip over roots on the way." Yep, he had the oddest way of speaking in the third person most of the time. (a/n: If he doesn't always do it all the time, now he does.)

Kagome nodded and got to her feet, watching as he drew himself up using his only one arm and his thick pelt; the other arm Inuyasha had cut off when they'd first met. Shrugging, Kagome looked around, trying to figure out where they were. They weren't in Inuyasha's forest, or any other place in Feudal Japan that she recognized. Not that she could see very well in the darkness around them; it was very late at night.

"We aren't in familiar territory, if that is why you are anxious. It seems that energy the creation of Naraku's threw at us put us in a completely different place." Sesshoumaru commented, beginning to walk in the direction he scented water coming from.

"He said something about a "void," but voids are completely empty of anything. Perhaps he messed up." She voiced her thoughts aloud as she followed the tall taiyoukai.

Had his eyes been open, he would have flicked a glance back at her; instead, he allowed his nose to lead him to water. "Hn. Or perhaps your miko powers interfered with his plans." They were approaching the water, but there was something else there. He scented a creature, something that smelled like the rich soil beneath them, yet smelled like healthy blood, so it was obviously alive. And it was young, too; strong, but no match for his enormous strength. He decided it didn't matter; he needed the slime off his face before it caused permanent damage.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the water come into view, and went to rush foreword to wash her face, but a soft growl from Sesshoumaru stopped her. She glanced at his face, but found it impassive; shrugging, she allowed him to lead, and followed, instead of rushing foreword.

* * *

Josef Belandrake lifted his head, scenting danger in the air. He'd been painting a picture of the beautiful lake before him at midnight, alone, when he'd felt sudden energy pulse along the air. It had disappeared after a moment, and he'd forgotten about it, but now he shifted, prepared to flee if need be.

He wasn't expecting such a beatutiful creature to walk from the forest to the lake. Nor the second beautiful creature to walk in behind the first, following its exact footsteps.

Josef withheld a sigh at the otherworldly creatures. They looked like light and dark. The first creature, with its long, white hair that swished when he walked, and a beautiful white, long-sleeved shirt with red flowers on the sleeves tucked into large white pants. Over one shoulder was spiked armour, along with a thick white tail thing that trailed behind him. Two long, real swords hung at his side, and there were strange markings on his face. Two thick maroon stripes on his cheeks, and an inverted, crescent moon in the middle of his forehead the color of the deep sea. He seemed hesitant in his steps, and Josef glanced at his eyes, only to find them covered in some kind of goop.

Shivering slightly, he turned his eyes to the other creature, who had long black hair that fell in waves to her waist. She was wearing a short green skirt that, amazing, didn't flip up as she walked, and a white sailor's shirt with a green ribbon. Above the ribbon hung about three-fourths of a sparkling jewel on a necklace made of twine and what looked like shark teeth and small, red jewels, but he couldn't be too sure. She walked with a bow slung across one shoulder, a quiver of arrows on the other, her eyes following every movement of the silver-haired ones. Josef could see they were the color of the cerulean seas he so loved to fly over. She was beautiful; they were both beautiful.

And then he heard the female speak. "Sesshoumaru-sama, you're about three steps away from the lake." She even had the voice of an angel.

The male, Sesshoumaru-sama, Josef guessed his name to be, didn't speak; he merely knelt were he was, and reached out a hand to cup water in to draw to his face. Or rather, to the goop on his eyes. He went to rub it off, but drew his hand back as if burned. Josef heard a rip, and turned back to the female, who had just taken a chunk out of her shirt.

"Miko, what are you doing?"

Josef felt a shiver at the voice of the male; he may be straight, but an order spoken in that voice would make him to anything. Husky, commanding, and even though it was emotionless, it was still amazing. The female, whose name was Miko, he now thought, replied in a subdued yet still somewhat irked voice,

"I'm going to wet a cloth to tie to your eyes. That slime might have hardened already, and might take a while to get off. If the soaked cloth wets the slime long enough, maybe it'll come off with the cloth." She didn't dare approach Sesshoumaru yet; she never knew when the youkai would strike out at her.

After a long moment of waiting, Sesshoumaru removed his hand from the water and sat back. "Very well. Be quick about it." He commanded, not moving an inch as Kagome soaked the cloth thoroughly, before hesitantly raising herself on her knees to get the dripping cloth wrapped all the way around Sesshoumaru's head, weaving through his thick hair. When she was done, she sat back as well, sighing.

In the blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru was gone; Kagome glanced around frantically, before swiftly looking to the side of the lake at a loud cry. Sesshoumaru was holding up a boy with short, spiked black hair; the tips were died electric blue. Fearing the worst, Kagome ran to where Sesshoumaru was holding the boy up in the air, sniffing inconspicuously at him. Black eyes were wide as the boy struggled in his strong grip, legs kicking wildly in baggy black pants. Kagome withheld a snicker at the boy's ridiculous attire; he looked like a gangster. But this wasn't a laughing matter.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you doing? This boy doesn't look like a threat." She whispered soothingly, making sure not to approach from the back.

Sesshoumaru merely snorted lightly. "He may not be a threat, but he is annoying. This Sesshoumaru could smell his arousal in the air as he stared at you." Now his voice grew disgusted. "As he stared at this taiyoukai."

Kagome jerked back, a little annoyed herself. But then she saw the real fear in the kid's eyes as he stared at her, as he struggled out of the youkai's hold. Her annoyance dissolved instantly. "Sesshoumaru-sama, please let him go. He's just a boy; he probably doesn't know any better." She spotted the knocked-over easel. "He was probably painting a picture when he came into his territory. Please let him go if he isn't a threat."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head in the direction he knew her to be standing in, loosening his claws out of the boy's fleshy neck, but not loosening them enough for him to escape. Just enough for him to talk. "Tell us, pup. What lands have we stumbled into? Speak the truth; I will know if you lie." His very voice commanded obedience.

Josef tried to gulp, but nodded eagerly, saying he would speak the truth. Sesshoumaru's grip loosened just a little more. "You're in the Carpathian Mountains, in one of the forests in the mountain regions. I-I wasn't going to hurt you; I promise! I wasn't even going to talk to you!"

Kagome's heart went out to him. "Who are you?" She asked gently, smiling at him from Sesshoumaru's side.

He hesitantly smiled back, feeling claws flex against his skin. "I'm Josef Belandrake. I was out here painting; I like to do that, you know."

Kagome nodded. "And where are your parents, Josef? You shouldn't be out here alone; it's dangerous."

Josef was about to say something, but a thunderous voice from above made Kagome's head jerk upward. A man and a woman, both dark haired and dark eyed, dropped from the sky to land at Josef's side.

"We are his parents. Let him go this instant, and I won't kill you where you stand!" The man commanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Sesshoumaru smirked, but didn't bother complying. Instead, he turned his head once more in the direction of Kagome. "Miko. Are you requiring of any substance other than water at the moment?" He asked, a low growl accenting his words.

Kagome looked puzzled, but responded, ignoring the furious looks on the faces of the newcomers. "No. I took a drink just a moment ago, so I'm not really that thirsty. Why do you ask?"

Sesshoumaru suddenly pulled the boy close to his body, his tail, Mokomoko-sama, wrapping around the boy's body to keep him secure and away from attacks. "You two. Take us to the lord of the lands around here. This Sesshoumaru will keep your pup in his keeping until you have done so. And do not bother trying to stage an ambush; if so, I will kill you all."

Kagome spoke up then, her hand resting on Sesshoumaru's sleeve. "Please. We don't know how we came to be here, or even where we are. We really won't hurt you unless you attack us, so please, just help us." Thinking for a second, she added, "And, if you have a healer, could you possibly have them come to us as well?"

The woman spoke up then. "What need have you of a healer? And how dare you make demands on us!"

Sesshoumaru growled threateningly, his claws flexing on Josef's side, but Kagome was the one to speak once more. "We need a healer because there is something on my ally's eyes here, and it burns both of us everytime we try to remove it. And Sesshoumaru-sama only took your son as a hostage because he believed you would flee the moment you had him back, and wouldn't help us at all." Of course, that was a lie, but they didn't need to know that. "Oh, I almost forgot! We got your son Josef's name, but we didn't catch yours."

The woman sighed, clutching her sides. "I am Eleanor Belandrake. This is my lifemate, Vlad. We will take you to our leader, and see if he wishes to punish you for what you have done."

Kagome nodded; fair enough. "I am Kagome Higurashi. This is Sesshoumaru, of the Western Lands, although it's best to address him as 'Sesshoumaru-sama.'"

Sesshoumaru snorted; he loved respect. Especially when it was demanded due to his station as taiyoukai. When Vlad moved foreword, walking, he almost frowned. "How far away is your leader?"

Vlad shrugged. "Walking, it would be a few days. Maybe longer. Why?"

"We are not walking. How long would it take to get there by tomorrow?"

Eleanor stiffened. "We cannot travel in the light." As soon as she spoke the words, she "Eep!"-ed, as if she'd revealed some big secret. Beside her, Vlad hissed, "Eleanor!"

Sesshoumaru shrugged, a ripple of power. "What are you, then? You do not smell human; you appeared out of the sky, as no humans can do. This Sesshoumaru is not human either, and the miko is not fully human. Why do you bother to hide it?"

Vlad glanced uneasily between the two of them, his eyes landing on his son, covered in that thick fur. He could detect no lie in the the strange, pine foresty scent of the tall creature, so that meant he really wasn't human. But could he reveal the secret of his people to complete strangers?

**I can't tell if that's long or not. But it doesn't matter. I think it's starting to get good, I really do! But the question is, do ****you**** think so? I hope so. I really do like this story, you know. But writing two chapters in the same night, without pausing writing them, has made my right arm cramp up, so I have to stop. Plus, it's late. So won't you all please do me a favor and review for me? Pretty please?! Oh, and in case you're wondering, this won't be a Sessh-Kag story; sorry. I'm planning on putting them both with Carpathians. Who knows? If my inner yaoi has it, I may just put Sesshy with a boy! For some reason, I keep imagining him in situations with Josef. Wow, weird. And if you guys don't like that, that's your problem. Like I said, it might not even happen.**

**Ayame**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing. Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't ****wish**** to own them. I just don't. Enjoy another chapter, while I see if I can get to written in one night.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 3**

Sesshoumaru growled softly, an indication that he was getting annoyed with the lack of information he was recieving. Kagome gave him a small glare, thankful he couldn't see it, before she decided to speak up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I would like to request that we walk the way to their leader. It would give you a better chance of taking in the scents and sounds of the place we've landed in." She nodded, trying to flatter and distract him. She also knew that if they traveled as fast as he wanted to, there was a better chance of him hurting himself because of his temporary blindness.

He knew what she was doing, of course. "You are not distracting me from getting answers, Miko. Although, I will accept your choice to walk. Answers, now, Vlad of the Belandrake." He commanded imperiously, his tail twitching.

Josef stiffened as he felt the energies moving beneath the tail, sliding along his skin; it felt...really weird. And it also gave him the indication that the man was telling the truth; they weren't human, because no human could control energies like that.

"So, what are you guys, if you're not human? I'll tell you what we are if you tell us what you are." Josef spoke up from beneath the thick fur. He heard Vlad's loud protest in his mind, but ignored him.

Sesshoumaru sniffed, turning to Kagome, a clear indication he wished her to speak. She sighed, but nodded. "Well, I'm a miko. I'm basically a healer, and can usually heal anything, even regrow limbs, although I haven't been taught how to do that yet. I also have the power purify poisons and demons." She pointed to Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru is a youkai, a demon. Actually, he's an extremely powerful demon, a taiyoukai. He has control of the Western Lands from where we come from. And he's an inu, a dog youkai. Whereas I'm a human with powers, he has absolutely no human blood in him." _Which he's proud of._ She thought, but didn't add.

Josef was about to talk, to tell what they were, when Vlad suddenly commanded, injecting a "push" into his voice, "Silence, Josef!" His mouth immediately slid shut, and he knew he wouldn't be able to speak until Vlad willed him to do so.

"We do not have the permission of our Prince to tell you what we are. Forgive my son for forcing you to tell us what we are, and promising something we cannot give." Vlad apologized, sending his son a searing glance. Using the telepathic link they had as parents to Josef, and through blood exchanges, he chided, _Do not speak again of what we are, Josef, or I will be forced to punish you. We know nothing of these two creatures, except for what they just admitted._

Josef nodded, ashamed. At the same time, Kagome waved her hand, smiling and saying, "It's alright. I hope. Um, is it alright, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She turned to the youkai in question, raising a dark eyebrow.

He turned his head to the side, hearing what sounded like irregular wolf footsteps, rushing towards them. "We are about to have another visitor." Was all he said, using his tail to push Josef onto his spiked shoulder so his arm had better access to his swords.

Eleanor looked confused while her husband sent out a mental call to see who was close to them. When the affirmative came back, her expression cleared. "Oh; it is Julian Savage. He and his lifemate Desari must have returned from their vacation early." She supplied, turning in the direction of the large black wolf who suddenly loped into the clearing. Behind it came a smaller black panther, which seemed to cuddle close to the wolf.

On reflex, Kagome stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, watching in amazement as lupine limbs and black fur receded to become pale, human limbs. A tall male figure stood next to a dark female; the male had a long, tawny mane, thick, his eyes an unusual molten-gold color. They actually reminded Kagome of Sesshoumaru's own amber eyes, although this creature's were full of emotion. He was tall, with power oozing from his every pore, and he was definately handsome. The woman who materialized next to him was like the picture of a goddess. She was frighteningly beautiful, with long masses of blue-black hair hanging free to frame an aristocratic face and dark eyes. Both wore black cloaks over simple, outdoors clothes, and watched Sesshoumaru and Kagome suspiciously.

Desari was the first to turn, to go and hug Eleanor happily. "We sensed you in the area, and thought we'd come to escort you home. You are going home, aren't you? The Prince has called a meeting." Even her voice was beautiful, filled with notes that tantalized the senses. Kagome sighed dreamily at it, while Sesshoumaru stiffened.

Julian watched both of them. "Would someone care to explain why young Josef is in the hands of a stranger?" He asked, his, also beautiful, voice pitched low, demanding an answer.

Sesshoumaru, surprisingly, was the one to answer. And he didn't lie, either. "I kidnapped him." Simple, plain, and demanding another question.

"And why would you do such a thing like that?" This time a light growl was underlying the words.

Sesshoumaru smirked, but it was cruel. "This Sesshoumaru want answers. He has yet to recieve them. This Sesshoumaru also wish to meet the leader of these lands, and a healer. He will hold the pup until these demands have been met."

"What answers could you possibly want that Vlad and Eleanor won't give?" Desari questioned, incredulous.

Kagome, sensing Sesshoumaru's growing annoyance, smiled placetingly. (a/n: I think that's the word I'm thinking of, but I'm not sure.) "He wants to know what creatures you are, because you don't smell human to him. We provided the answers as to what we are, but they seem disinclined to do the same courtesy to us." She worked to keep the slight anger she was feeling out of her voice. It was a struggle, but she managed it.

Julian sighed. "It is against the laws of our people to say what you ask. We would have to get permission from our Prince to do so. If you wish to meet him, we will also accompany you there, to make sure you don't welsh on us. (a/n: Imagine a Carpathian saying a word like "welsh.") Our greatest healer is currently with the Prince as well. Just out of curiosity, what did you say you were?" He wondered, his face taking on a boyish look as he turned to Kagome.

She was about to reply, but Sesshoumaru spoke for her. "She has explained once, and will not do so again until we have met this "Prince." And if it is permitted, we wish to get started on this long journey now, while we still have some nighttime left, seeing as you have already let it slip that you cannot travel in the light."

Julian gave Vlad a look at hearing that; the man just shrugged. Desari smiled and walked foreword, ignoring Julian's warning in her mind, and went to stand by Kagome. She figured that since this was a girl, and obviously human, then she could get some answers from her.

"Hello, dear. My name is Desari Savage. That is my lifemate, Julian Savage." She pitched her voice lower, trying to incite a reaction. Of course, she didn't know that, because they weren't from this world, mental pushes wouldn't work on Kagome and Sesshoumaru but Kagome, being the kind girl she was, responded anyway.

"Hi! I'm Kagome Higurashi, and this is Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands. But like I told Mr. and Mrs. Belandrake, it's best to refer to his as 'Sesshoumaru-sama.'"

That, of course, brought on the obvious question, "Why is that?"

Surprisingly, Josef spoke up from his position with his face smothered in Sesshoumaru's silky, sweet-smeling hair. "'Cause he's a Lord, right, Ms. Kagome? And he's really powerful!"

Kagome laughed and nodded, noticing that Sesshoumaru seemed to stand just a little taller at that statement. But, Desari wasn't convinced. "A lord isn't that powerful, though. They're only a station above common people."

Sesshoumaru let out a small snort, turning his sightless eyes away from them. How annoying. Kagome, though, felt just a little anger at the woman. "I don't think you understand. Where we're from, a Lord is the equivalant of a King, perhaps even more powerful. Although, there are four Lords, aren't there, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She questioned; he turned back to her, ignoring the soft conversation that was going on between the men.

"That is correct, Miko. There is the Lord of the Western Lands, which this Sesshoumaru rules over. Koga, the ookami, is Lord of the Southern Lands. Umine the neko is the Lord of the Eastern Lands, and Tosei the doragon is Lord of the Northern Lands." He informed her, before turning back to Julian and Vlad, who seemed to have stopped their conversation.

"I'm still a little confused." Desari admitted; in fact, she was really confused. So many Lords, so many lands!

Kagome laughed a little. "I know; it's really complicated. I still don't really understand it all. Oh, that reminds me. May I, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She asked, her hands just a few inches from his face. He nodded minutely, and she smiled, reaching up to pull the cloth she'd tied over his eyes down just a few centimeters to show the last of the crescent moon. "Do you see this crescent moon? It's a symbol of his position. Well, not really of his position as Lord, more of his position as how powerful he is. What does it stand for, Sesshoumaru?" She asked, forgetting to add the suffix.

"Are you ready to travel, strangers? Depending on our pace, we can get far in the rest of the night." Vlad spoke up, already at the edge of the clearing.

In answer, Sesshoumaru placed a claw on Kagome's forearm, and she began walking towards him, Desari still at her side. Sesshoumaru followed directly behind Kagome, following her delicious scent. Julian brought up the rear, watching for an attack not only from outside forces, but from these strangers as well. Once they'd been walking for about half an hour, Sesshoumaru answered the question Kagome had asked.

"It is the symbol for the House of the Moon. The Inu no Taishou did not have this symbol, though; this Sesshoumaru's mother was the one to carry it. Only very powerful youkai, even ones that aren't taiyoukai, have markings such as these." He shifted Josef, sensing his discomfort, but not easing it completley. He liked having the pup in some pain; it was known that Sesshoumaru was definately a sadist.

Kagome snapped her fingers. "Oh! That's why Koga-kun doesn't have any markings like you! I always wondered; I knew he was the Southern Lord, but I couldn't figure out why he didn't have any markings. It makes sense; I don't mean offense to him, but he isn't very powerful without the jewel shards in his legs for speed."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "He is but a mere pup, trying to fill his father's shoes. Perhaps the fact that he is an ookami also adds to his weakness. You would do well to remember such a fact, Miko."

Desari had been watching the interchange with slight amusement and great confusion; now, she had another question to ask. "Why is it he calls you "miko" instead of Kagome? Or Ms. Higurashi? What does miko mean?" Julian turned his golden gaze to them as well, curious in this answer.

**I just never want to stop writing these chapters! This story is really hitting itself off, unlike the others. I just keep getting more and more ideas, even if it's mostly dialogue, and I'm sorry about that. The action'll come soon, I promise! But please, review and tell me what you think! They'll be getting to where they want to be in the next chapter, and there'll be a fight in the next scene as well, but they won't meet the Prince until the chapter after next.**

**Ayame**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: And yet, once again, I own nothing. But that's not for lack of want. Yes, this is the second chapter I'm writing in one night. Who knows; if I'm lucky and my computer doesn't start freezing up on me, I might get three chapters done! Whatever; please enjoy the next installment of Dark Days!**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 4**

Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru, unsure of how to answer the first part of that question. He shifted, feeling her gaze, but kept walking foreword. He waited until he knew they were about to either give up waiting for an answer or repeat their questions before speaking. "This Sesshoumaru addresses her as "miko" because it is her title. Just as she addresses this one as "Sesshoumaru-sama." If he so wished it, this Sesshoumaru could call her by her name, but as of late there has been nothing to deem such a thing profitable."

"Oh. A title? That...wasn't what I was expecting." Desari commented, a little quietly. Sesshoumaru heard her, and smirked again, although it disappeared quickly.

Kagome nodded; she was actually happy to hear that explanation. But now it was her turn. "You asked what a miko was. To put it simply, it means "priestess." A miko is a woman who goes from village to village helping people, either ridding them of youkai or healing the wounded. I do both, although I travel with a group of friends to fight this huge enemy of the whole lands. I heal when I can, but I'm not too experienced in those arts. My miko powers are more for fighting, especially since Sesshoumaru-sama began training me to protect myself in battle." She smiled at him, lifting her foot over a root. Sensing the movement, he did the same.

"I see. Were you born with these powers, or did you acquire them some way?" Desari asked now, intrigued.

"I was born with them, but I actually had no knowledge of them until two years ago, when...a certain incident happened to make me aware of them. I've only heard of females as mikos, and as far as I know, there isn't a way you can acquire them; you have to be born with them."

"That is correct, miko. We will stop here for the rest of the day. The four of you may do what you wish for the time when it is light; the miko, this Sesshoumaru, and the boy will rest here."

Eleanor gasped. "We can't leave Josef with you! He may die!"

Sesshoumaru growled low in warning. "Have no fear, woman. Mokomoko-sama will cover him completely, in scent, body, and anything else that matters. He will feel no sunlight, and will not be sensed by any enemies. He will be safe. Now go; this Sesshoumaru can smell the pain you are enduring even just by walking through this early light." It was early in the morning.

Eleanor wanted to protest some more, but Julian, who'd been watching Josef's face, shook his head and spoke. "It's alright, Eleanor. He will be safe here." Using the telepathic connection, the mental path for all Carpathians, he said, _We will go to ground near here, so we can awaken if he comes to harm._

She sniffed but nodded, and cuddled close to Vlad. For show, they walked out of the clearing; Sesshoumaru snorted lightly. He sat himself against a tree, and felt the tail rearranging itself and Josef. It curled the boy so that he was in a fetal position, snuggled up against Sesshoumaru's side, and covered him completely in its fur. "Miko, there is a small stream half a mile west of here, if you wish to drink and bathe. But be quick about it; and if you should get lost, merely sense about for this Sesshoumaru's aura."

Kagome nodded and turned around, before sheepishly turning back to him. "Um, Sesshoumaru-sama, which way is west?" She asked nervously. His face was still expressionless as he pointed the way. "Thanks!" She smiled and bowed a little, setting off. She made sure to take her bow and arrows with her.

"You know, this fur's hot!"

Sesshoumaru looked down at his side at the small voice, growling. "Do not speak. Sleep, as apparently you are supposed to be doing in the sun." He commanded, hearing a small "Fine!" before he heard nothing. He was surprised; apparently the boy had shut down his lungs and stopped his heartbeat, and appeared to be dead. He even felt cold under his Mokomoko-sama. But then Sesshoumaru shrugged; it was probably just a weird way to rest for his people.

* * *

Kagome hummed lightly to herself as she spotted the stream ahead of her, estatic for finding it. Sure, it wasn't a hot spring, but hey, at least she'd get to bathe! She laid her bow and arrows on the ground and stripped quickly, hissing slightly as she lowered herself into the cold water. It felt wonderful. Even if she didn't have any soap, it felt great to wash off dirt and mud, and even gunk from whatever that black stuff that had surrounded her was made of. Even her hair felt good after a good soaking.

Kagome spent nearly half an hour in the stream soaking, and even took a few drinks before she sighed and removed herself. She spent another twenty minutes just drying in the early morning light, before redressing and expanding her senses to find Sesshoumaru's aura. She swiftly made her way back to him, panting slightly when she reached him.

His lifted his head when she burst into the clearing, but scenting no fear, just said, "Rest, miko. I will awake you if there is danger." And as if his words commanded obedience, she slipped into unconsciousness, curling up against his Mokomoko-sama for warmth, and slept almost all of the day away.

* * *

Kagome woke with the sense that something was terrible wrong.

She jerked upright, searching the small path for danger, but found nothing. And yet, that terrible feeling of emptiness, of evil, just wouldn't go away. Terrified, she turned to Sesshoumaru, who was scenting the air.

"You sense it as well, Miko? There is danger coming for us. Prepare yourself." He stood easily, his tail shifting so it now hung, with the boy, on the shoulder without his armor, for easier access to his swords. He waited, knowing that the creature, whatever it was, was very close to them.

He was right. Within moments, just after Kagome had positioned herself at his side, her bow cocked and ready, a creature so grotesque it was sickening suddenly appeared before them. Its hidious features were pulled taut, its soulless black eyes staring intently at Kagome. Long talons tipped its fingers, and sharp, bloody fangs hung down from its lips. Its cheeks were sunken in, and it was hunched, as if its spine were broken. Its clothes were torn, and had blood on them, but none of it was from the creature, Sesshoumaru could smell that. There was only the smell of dirt, old blood, and death permeating from the creature. It made Sesshoumaru's nose want to curl in disgust, but he resisted.

In fact, he resisted killing the creature outright in the hopes of getting more answers. There was an old scent, buried deep, that resembled that of the four creatures who had left them shortly before dawn.

The creature swung its head between Sesshoumaru and Kagome, before dismissing the taiyoukai and focusing completely on Kagome. "Come with me, girl. I can give you much that this creature cannot." Even his voice was grotesque, grating like that of nails on a chalkboard.

Kagome winced, but was angry enough to spit out, "Excuse me? Just what is that supposed to mean?!"

The creature, they guessed it to be male, looked taken aback, as if it had not been expecting her anger. "I meant what I said. I can show you wonders and pleasure that this male can only dream of."

Kagome scoffed, thinking, _Is this guy for real?_ "Listen, buddy, I don't want your pleasure, or anyone elses! Leave us alone; you reak of evil, and that disgusts me!"

He hissed in anger, and spat out a word that she couldn't make out. Suddenly, she felt herself being flung foreword, right into his claws, which dug right into her stomach, fingers digging all the way in to the hilt. She let out a small shriek, her vision going dark as pain began to consume her. She thought she heard a roar, but then again, maybe it was just her blood roaring in her ears as it poured from those five large wounds now on her stomach.

* * *

"Vlad, I sense it! A vampire!"

Vlad stopped feeding at his wife and lifemate's urgently spoken words, also feeling the disturbance just then. He looked over at Julian, who nodded, stopping his lifemate from feeding from his own neck. He swiped at the small pinpricks on the male's neck, healing them instantly, before gripping Eleanor's arm and taking to the air. He didn't bother looking behind him to make sure the other two were following; he had to get to his son.

When he reached the path where they'd left the two strangers and his son, he gasped in horror. The young woman, Kagome, was being pulled foreword, her face a mask of her own horror as the creature, who he identified as the turned-Carpathian, now vampire Raould, plunged his talon-tipped fingers into her stomach to the hilt. The fact that he would do such a thing stunned Vlad; vampires wanted women, they didn't kill them. She must have done something to anger him enough to want to kill her.

But his thoughts stopped as he heard a loud roar, and turned to the male, Sesshoumaru, whose image seemed to waver in his eyes for a second, his face elongating to that of a muzzle before swiftly turning back. He moved foreword, although it was so fast that all Vlad saw was him standing by the tree one minute, then right in front of Raould the next, his arm outstretched.

A long, glowing whip of some sort stretched from his fingertips; a flick of his wrist sent it slicing through Raould's neck. Another flick sent it through his waist. Two more flicks; the arms and legs were chopped off. How he knew where they were when he was blind Vlad didn't know; and how he moved so fast that it all seemed to happen in mere seconds amazed him. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he jumped down and called upon the lightening, using it to completely incinerate the body of Raould, and the blood that had splashed all over. Eleanor was gasping beside him.

* * *

Sesshoumaru reached out and caught Kagome as she fell, the arm in her no longer attached to a body; he heard the wind wooshing for the fall. He felt around, and gripped the wrist of the hand, but a small, feminine hand gripped his own wrist before he could pull it out of her body.

"No; onegai. Don't. He put something in my body, and I've managed to contain it to just at where his fingers are; if you pull out his arm, it'll break my barrier." Kagome whispered, her voice weak with pain and the strain of holding the barrier there. She had never done such a thing before, and how she managed to do it now she didn't know, but that didn't matter.

Sesshoumaru nodded and turned to Vlad, his fangs showing as still some of his demonic side showed in his anger. "We will step up the pace, and get to your leader tonight. But before we meet your Prince, you will bring the healer to us immediately. The Miko is badly injured."

Julian stepped foreword. "Allow me to see. I can heal." He went to see Kagome, but Sesshoumaru growled threateningly, pulling her closer with his one arm. Josef awakened just then, uncomfortable against Sesshoumaru's shoulder, but didn't speak just yet. He sensed the tension in the air.

Desari touched Julian's arm, shaking her head. She sent out a mental call to the greatest healer of their race. _Gregori, I have need of you._

Gregori Daratrazanoff answered her immediately through their private mental path established through a blood exchange. _I will come. What is it you need, little sister?_ He questioned, even as he prepared to take flight.

_No, do not come. Wait at the northern edge of the mountains. We have to people with us, outsiders who aren't human. One was injured by a vampire, but the other won't let us near her. He demands the healer, you, to see to her._ Desari informed him, biting her lip.

A pause. _I see. And what are you doing traveling with two outsiders, even if they aren't human?_

She felt slightly guilty, but refused to allow that into their conversation. _The man has taken Josef as hostage, and demands to meet with the Prince. For what, we don't know._

_And why have you not retrieved Josef from him, and killed him?_ Gregori questioned, his piercing silver gaze trailing over his pacing lifemate, Savannah.

_He killed a vampire single-handedly, Gregori. Without harming the girl, who was in the clutches of the vampire, and while holding Josef to him. He used some foreign technique, but he's very strong. We didn't wish to risk it. Will you help them? The girl is actually very nice, and I do not wish her to die._ She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

The pause was longer this time. _I will help them; I will be waiting for you. Come as quick as you can._ And with that, the mental connection was cut off. Desari sighed in relief.

"Gregori will be waiting for us. How will you travel?" She asked of the still-growling Sesshoumaru.

He turned his head to acknowledge her. "Travel your fastest way. I will follow your scent in my mode of travel."

"But how will you carry her, and Josef?" Eleanor questioned, still wishing she could have her son back. He merely snarled at her, and she gulped, dissovling into the image of an owl with Vlad right beside her.

Desari and Julian became large cats and charged off. Sesshoumaru waited until they were a ways away, before summoning his fastest mode of travel; a large white ball of energy that surrounded him and carried him after the scents of the creatures smelling of rich soil.

* * *

Gregori sighed as he stood beside Savannah, lounging against a hut on the northern side of the village. He waited impatiently for them to arrive, passing the time by counting the stars above the mountain. He straightened when he sensed hurried movement; it was Vlad and Eleanor. They were the first to arrive.

**Still getting long, and I've still got an idea for this story! You know, Kagome was never going to get hurt, but I decided to let Sesshoumaru show a little anger and possession. I also wasn't going to stop it yet, but my back is really hurting after sitting here and doing nothing but typing in a backless stool, so you can live with only three chapters. Heh, only, what am I thinking? Anyway, please review for me! Cookies for all those who want to share any cool ideas! Sorry, seriously, it's like three in the morning; I'm a little hyped and saying stupid stuff.**

**Ayame**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing. So stop asking! But, please enjoy this chapter, if you will.**

**Dark Days**

**  
Chapter 5**

Gregori bowed with courtly grace to Vlad and Eleanor, his all-seeing silver gaze wondering over them in a swift gesture. "Where are the outsiders?" He questioned in his powerful voice.

"Julian and Desari were right behind us; the outsiders were traveling using some...undefinable mode of transportation behind them." Vlad supplied, just as a ball of light slid to a stop in front of Gregori.

The light held for a moment, before it dissipitated, leaving Sesshoumaru standing, Kagome pressed against his chest with his only arm, some of his pelt hiding the wound from view, and Josef huddled in the rest of his pelt. He wasn't even breathing hard from the exertion of using such energy, although his fangs were showing.

"Are you the healer?" He questioned, although his head was tilted to the side, looking just behind him, where the two large cats burst through the foliage. He'd overrun them when he'd scented that Vlad and Eleanor had stopped.

Gregori stepped foreword, his sensitive nose twitching at the call of powerful, delicious blood. "Yes, I am the healer of our people. Let me see her." He commanded, not even blinking an eye at Sesshoumaru's threatening growl as he stepped right up to him.

Sesshoumaru shook his head from side to side, trying to ignore the powerful scents around him. They were stifling him, made even more powerful by his inability to see. Yet, even when he felt like sucumbing to the scents, he detected no lie from the tall, dark, yet stocky figure that waited for him to make the move. His head stilled, and his Mokomoko-sama unwound from around Kagome, trailing back up to his shoulder, and Josef, letting Gregori get an eyeful of the wound. He frowned when he saw the arm.

"Why have you not removed this?" He questioned, reaching out to do so. Sesshoumaru's tail immediately gripped his hand, stilling it with its power. He glanced up at the expressionless face, noticing the cloth covering his eyes from view.

"Do not remove the arm until you have managed to destroy whatever it is that the creature put inside her body. This Sesshoumaru will watch; if you cause her any more harm than she has already had, he will kill you." It was a statement; all knew he wasn't boasting. His threat was very real.

"Lay her on the ground. It will be easiest to work on her with her lying flat." Gregori was already shedding his body, becoming light and spirit so that he could enter the small girl's body. Miraculously, she didn't fight him; it was as if she knew what he was doing, and even tried her best to help him, in her own small way. He heard, in his mind and his ears, the others around them begin the chant for healing, and other Carpathians, far and near, joining in to aid him. He relished in the strength provided from them.

He sent himself seeking throughout her body, looking in her bloodstream for any of the parasites that the vampires had created in the last few years that specifically targeted the eggs of females, and worked fast and meticulously to kill instantly. He found none, and frowned slightly.

_Parasites? Ew. I trapped them at the tip of his fingers, at the entry wound. They haven't had time to enter the rest of my body._ He heard her thoughts spoken to him, wondered briefly how she was able to do it, before streaking farther down her body.

He found them, angy little things, fighting against the cage they were bound in. He moved swiftly yet carefully, destroying every last one of them, before taking a moment to study the cage. It seemed to be made of what he was at the moment, light and energy, healing energy, yet could work in ways other than healing. It was interesting, but he'd have to study it another time. So he moved onward, to the wound, frowning before returning to his body. He gripped the arm and pulled, wincing when he heard a soft cry emit from the girl, but felt no blow from the man. Resisting the urge to sigh, he threw the arm behind him, knowing that one of the others would dispose of it properly, as he immediately set to work healing the wounds on her stomach. He also had to make sure none of her organs, or her womb, were injured.

Sesshoumaru watched with interest as the dark man became as still as a statue, his aura glowing brightly. It reminded him of miko power, although it was different, darker, and yet still pure. He growled in warning when he heard Kagome give a cry of pain, but a feather-light touch on his arm from her fingertips stilled his instinctive motion to kill. So he stopped, and waited.

Josef, still on his back and chanting the healing chant in his mind, couldn't keep silent, however. He felt it his job to inform Sesshoumaru of what was going on. "He just destroyed the parasites, and now he's going to help her body heal as quickly as it can. He's going to need blood when he comes back, though, and might say she does too. It all depends on how much she's lost."

Sesshoumaru grunted slightly. "In repayment for his services, this Sesshoumaru will provide him with blood if it is needed. The blood of a taiyoukai, especially that of one from the House of the Moon, is very ancient, and very powerful."

Josef frowned. "He might not let you, you know. If you're not human, your blood could affect us differently than it would normally."

This time Sesshoumaru shifted, easing his swords into a more comfortable position, so that they weren't biting into his side and armor. "That is doubtful. This one's blood does not affect humans, or demons, or even mikos, in any way, unless it were tainted. It is not. It will not affect you any differently than it would one of the kind such as this Sesshoumaru; he can assure you of that."

Sesshoumaru lifted his arm to his face; he couldn't see it, but Josef could admire it. And admire it the boy did. Beautiful, pale, lean fingers with deadly claws tipping them. Two maroon stripes circling the wrist that was revealed by the sleeve of the haori slipping down. He wondered absently where else the taiyoukai had those stripes, before mentally knocking himself upside the forehead. _Dummy! What would dad think if he heard that thought?! This guy's an outsider; by rights I shouldn't even be talking to him!_

Gregori removed himself completely from the miko's body, almost swaying with weariness when he was back in his own body. He was tired, he needed blood, but the girl was healed completely. She'd be weak, but that was to be expected. Julian stepped foreword, to provide blood, he assumed, but Sesshoumaru growled threateningly. Gregori slashed his gaze upward, just then noticing that a pale arm was coming closer. He leant back, thinking it was to harm, but it stopped mere inches from his mouth.

"This Sesshoumaru has been informed that you would require blood after the healing. This one offers his freely as payment for your services." Sesshoumaru told him, his head cocking just a little to the side.

Gregori shook his head, pushing the arm back. "Thank you, but no. I will take blood from Julian; his is powerful."

Sesshoumaru growled once more; it was pitched lower, more in anger. He brought his wrist to his mouth and tore it viciously with his own fangs, using his tail to pull Gregori to him and press the bleeding wrist to his mouth. "You will accept, healer. It is insulting that you would accuse this Sesshoumaru's blood of being weak, like that of the pup's. Drink."

Gregori couldn't think on that odd last statement; the scent of rich blood was making his head swim. Unconsciously, his tongue flicked out to catch a drop of that thick, almost black blood, and he nearly groaned. It tasted amazing! Instantly, his mouth attached to the wound, sucking profusely, eyes closed in pleasure as his starving cells and insides soaked up blood like that of which he'd never tasted before! It was indeed powerful, ancient, more potent, even, than his friend Prince Mikhail's blood. In fact, he needed only a small amount to regain his strength, but he couldn't resist pulling strongly, drinking up more, filling up a thirst he hadn't known he'd had that night.

For long moments, only the sound of voracious suckling circulated the clearing. The others were too afraid to approach, while Josef felt himself experiencing a high at the scent of Sesshoumaru's blood. He wished for a taste, _just...one...taste..._

"Do not!" Sesshoumaru's order was sharp, and Josef instinctually pulled his head back. He hadn't even realized he was getting closer to the youkai's neck, closer to where his pulse was beating strongly. He was ashamed at himself; he'd almost taken from a stranger, a creature neither human nor Carpathian, without his consent! Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly, and pushed at the healer's head to get him to stop drinking his blood. He figured he'd had enough, and the scent of the boy's shame was grating on his nerves. While he let the healer use the healing agent in his saliva to heal the wound on his wrist, he turned his head somewhat and pitched his voice low so that only the boy could hear it. "If you wish to drink this Sesshoumaru's blood, then ask. But get your parent's permission first; it is possible, after all, that the blood of this one is too potent for you, a mere fledgling pup."

Josef nodded, hanging his head. Gregori lifted his head now, missing the exchange, licking his lips to catch the last of that tasty blood. He groaned, although only in his head, where his lifemate could hear him. Then he remembered something. "You are injured as well. Allow me to heal you, as I took more blood then I should have."

Sesshoumaru shrugged; the bloodloss didn't even affect him yet. His youkai body would only make more, in less than a day's time. But he didn't flinch as Gregori carefully removed the cloth from his eyes, feeling some of the slime stick to it. He scented the healer's confusion.

"Why have neither you nor the girl removed this slime earlier?" Gregori questioned, confused.

"It seems to burn both the miko and this Sesshoumaru. It also seems to have caused a temporary blindness." Sesshoumaru supplied, keeping his head perfectly still.

Gregori frowned, realizing he would have to call down the lightening to incinerate the slime. He only hoped that it wouldn't damage the creature's eyes. "I would have you hold perfectly still; do not even move your eyelids. I am going to call the lightening to get rid of this. It may burn."

Sesshoumaru snorted, albeit softly. He could handle anything; he was a powerful taiyoukai, after all. He heard a harsh chant, and what sounded like a crack of thunder, and smelled electricity in the air. Then he felt a sting near his eye, passing over it, then the bridge of his nose, his other eye, and just a little beyond. The whole area tingled for three long seconds, before it began to feel like tiny claws poking into his skin. But he didn't move, not one muscle. He waited until it was over, when Gregori shifted and laid a hand over his eyes, the areas around them slightly pink. But even that was fading rapidly as he watched.

"I am going to check to see that no damage has been done to you; do not fight my spirit." Gregori commanded, once more shedding his body and sending himself seeking, this time into the body of the powerful male.

He wound up in the stomach. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Below the lungs, but above the stomach, were many medium-sized sacs, that had openings at the top, but were currently closed. They seemed to connect to lines that went through the creature's arms, and even, although the lines were faint to see, went to his fangs. Gregori shifted, his mind searching for the information on what the sacs held. _Poison_. He was shocked; the creature actually had sacs of poison in its body, and wasn't being injured by them? He was shocked even more by another piece of knowledge entering his mind; there was only one arm attached to this creature. One arm ended in a stump just above the elbow, burned somewhat at the end, yet he seemed to feel no pain from it. _Astounding._

"Healer, you may examine the intricities of this Sesshoumaru's body later, if you so wish, but for now finish the healing." Sesshoumaru's voice was much deeper, more growling from the inside.

Gregori shivered lightly and sent himself up, up past the thick esophogus and through the mouth, admiring the sharp canines and definately dog-like mouth, before going up farther. There, the eyes. They were turned inward, and he resisted the urge to study them. Instead, he went checking every retina, each cornea, searching for any permanent damage. He found none. In fact, he found no damage at all. He breathed in relief and slid easily back into his own body.

"There is no damage. You may open your eyes, but do so slowly. You may see in blurriness at first; that is to be expected after not being able to see for periods of time. But your eyes are fine."

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly lifted his lids, not focusing on anything just yet. When they were fully open, Gregori was shocked once more. They eyes; those amazing looking eyes! Beautiful amber orbs, pupils slitted, almost feline in shape, expressionless, and yet some flicker of emotion passed through them. They were powerful; if used correctly, they could probably command a person to do anything he wanted.

Sesshoumaru finally focused his eyes, studying the creature in dark before him. So, this was the healer. He was pretty impressive; the others were as well. The boy on his shoulder? Not so much, but that was to be expected. He was a mere pup, after all. His eyes shifted back to the healer. "You have this Sesshoumaru's gratitude, healer. Yet there are still two demands that have as yet to be met." His voice, when accompanied by those emotionless amber orbs, was that much more powerful.

Yet Gregori valiantly ignored his reaction to those eyes. "And what demands would those be? One I believe I know of; you wish to see our Prince?"

Without speaking, Sesshoumaru used his one arm and the tip of Mokomoko-sama to bring Kagome back into his embrace. She cuddled close, sighing contentedly. It appeared she was having a nice dream, if her scent was anything to go by. When she was situated, he stood to his full height, standing as tall as Gregori, and cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, this infamous Prince. The Miko will awaken when we are taken to him; it would perhaps be best if we left now."

Eleanor stepped foreword once more. "Please, may I have my son back now? We are taking you to our Prince; is that not enough?" She begged, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

He didn't even blink. "How is there a way to know if you are not going to ambush this Sesshoumaru, instead of leading him to your leader? The fact that that is a possiblity is reason enough for this one to continue to hang onto your pup."

Gregori thought for a moment. "You will release him when we take you to the Prince?" He asked, his mind probing the taiyoukai's for answers. It should have been easy; he'd taken his blood, but somehow he kept meeting a wall.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "As soon as this Sesshoumaru has the answers he is seeking, he will relinquish the pup. He has come to no harm so far, and will not as long as you do not try anything foolish."

Savannah Dubrinsky laid a warm hand on her lifemate's arm, stilling his protest. "The meeting for tonight has ended, although daddy is still in the meeting room. We may leave now, if that is what you wish."

Sesshoumaru nodded, his cold gaze passing right through her. He took a step, and another, following Savannah down a path through the village, smirking inwardly as her mate began walking just behind her, as if to protect her from the youkai. Preposterous. He felt the others following, although Julian and Desari broke off to go somewhere else in the village.

At last, they would be meeting the Lord here. Perhaps they'd even find a way home.

**Ta-dah! These chapters just seem to write themselves; I love it! I wish all my other stories were like that, but alas. Anyway, what'd'ya think? I still can't help but think up situations between Sesshy and Josef, and it's kinda pissing me off, but what can you do? You should know by now that this is ****NOT**** a Sess/Kag story; both will end up with Carpathians. If that disappoints, well, I told you that earlier, and you must have ignored it. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! Is it just me, or do these chapters seem to be getting longer and longer?**

**Ayame**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Still don't own, guys! I own nothing! And, just so you know, I was like half-way through this chapter a couple weeks ago, when I accidentally deleted it, and I didn't realize it till a few days later. Heh heh, oops. So, yeah, it's ****really**** late. My bad.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 6**

"Dad's in here, Mr.-what did you say your last name was?" Savannah asked as politely as she could.

Sesshoumaru merely glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "This Sesshoumaru didn't. The silver inu family has no need of last names, but if you must address this person, address it as Taiyoukai." He commanded, before stepping through the doorway.

_What does 'taiyoukai' mean?_ Savannah silently asked her lifemate, confused.

He shook his head, though. _I haven't the foggiest. I suppose we can either look it up, or ask him. Who knows, perhaps "dad" will do it for us._ He was, of course, sarcastic after saying that last part; he still hadn't forgiven the Prince for that fiasco at the Christmas party. (a/n: For those of you who can't remember, or didn't get that far in the series, Mikhail made Gregori dress up as Santa Claus for the children.)

_Perhaps._ She allowed, following Gregori into the darkened interior of the hut.

There was her father, Mikhail Dubrinsky, the prince of the Carpathian people, standing in the center of the hut. He, like her, was dark haired and dark eyed, and even wore dark clothes. They were modern, though; his lifemate, Raven, was at his side. She had blue-black hair, like their daughter, and darkish eyes. She wore nice jeans and a simple t-shirt. Both were watching Sesshoumaru closely, looking none-too-pleased to see him, for they'd been informed by Gregori via the mind on the reason he was here. Every one of them was silent for a long moment, until Mikhail tossed his head back.

"You have seen me, we are going to talk; I believe you may return Josef now." He added a subtle 'push' to his voice, to command Sesshoumaru to obey him.

Sesshoumaru merely gave him his coldest stare. "I believe the words this Sesshoumaru used were: 'once this Sesshoumaru has his answers, he will release Josef.' These answers have not come, therefore Josef stays on this person." He could smell the spark of anger that came from the males, and the concern from the females. If he were the type to feel it, he would be amused. Instead, he shook Kagome awake, gently setting her on the ground so she could lean against him.

"Huh? Wha-oh. Is this him?" Kagome whispered, covering her yawn with a hand. She was still somewhat tired.

Sesshoumaru gave a short nod. "This is the Lord. His aura exudes more power than the others, although the Dark One over there has an aura close to his." He unknowingly spoke the 'title' of Gregori's, that had been given to him for many centuries.

Kagome nodded. "I see. Have we been introduced yet?" The silence was her answer. "Oh. Well, I'm Kagome Higurashi; status: Miko. Pleased to meet you." She bobbed a small curstey, covering another yawn as she slanted Sesshoumaru a look.

He merely gave the barest of nods. "Sesshoumaru; status: Taiyoukai of the Western Lands."

Mikhail nodded to both of them; he was still angry that the odds weren't exactly in his favor, but he could ignore that for now. "I am Mikhail Dubrinsky; status: Prince of the Carpathians." He followed their examples. "This is my lifemate, Raven. What exactly are a miko and taiyoukai?" He questioned, feeling confusion but unwilling to show it, in his face.

"Taiyoukai means, literally, lord demon. Sesshoumaru's the leading lord of the western lands where we come from. A miko is...a shrine priestess. They go around healing, and slaying youkai that plague villages. They also put up barriers, purify miasma and venom, and other stuff like that." Kagome nodded. "What's a Carpathian? We already figured out you can't go out in sunlight, but what exactly are you?"

Mikhail sighed, before nodding as well. He really had no choice but to answer, even if it broke their code. Besides, these two weren't exactly human; he could sense that much. "Carpathians are creatures of the night. We are of the earth, wind, and sky. We command these things, as well as all things of nature. We are an ancient race with powers and properties that can be, and often are, mistaken for those of the vampires, the creatures that kill for the momentary rush of power. We survive on blood, and sleep deep beneath the earth, but we are not evil, or soulless, and we don't kill our...prey. We hunt the vampires."

Sesshoumaru's head cocked a little to the side. "I have not heard this term-_vampire_. What is it?" He demanded the answer.

Kagome, surprisingly, was the one to answer him. "Where I come from, they're legends. Creatures of the night that seduce humans for their blood, and either kill or turn their victims. They're completely evil."

Raven nodded at her, pleased that neither of them were freaking out by what they'd just learned. "That is somewhat true. Vampires do exist, and they do kill their victims, most of the time. But sometimes they make puppets out of their victims, puppets that become mindless zombies intent only on feeding off blood. They're Carpathian males that lost their soul by killing via feeding, because they went too long in the growing darkness without their lifemate." It made her sad, just thinking about how many of their males had turned because they couldn't survive without their other half.

"Yes, that is also confusing. You use the term 'lifemate,' with is like the word 'mate,' yet your souls are completely merged. If one of you dies, the other dies, whereas with mates, one can live without the other. This does not make sense." And, although he, too, was confused, Sesshoumaru's voice was completely monotonous.

Mikhail nodded. "It is as we explained. If a male Carpathian spends too many centuries in the darkness, without his light, his lifemate, he turns vampire. But, when he finds his other half, his soulmate, she becomes an anchor for him, keeping him forever in the light. Without each other, they would die, for they would be living half-lives. Meaningless lives."

Kagome sighed. "That's so tragically romantic." Sesshoumaru snorted; humans.

Mikhail cleared his throat. "If there is nothing else..."

"Have you ever heard of such a thing as the Shikon no Tama? Or a creature known as Naraku?" The taiyoukai asked suddenly, his claws flexing under the sleeves of his hoari.

Raven frowned. "Shikon no Tama? I've never heard of it. Is it important?"

He exhaled. "If you have not heard of it, then forget it. Very well, you've answered all of our questions, and you haven't attacked us. You may have the pup back now, and we will leave. Miko." He disentangled his tail, causing Josef to fall to the floor at the sudden motion.

"O-w!" The teenager growled, rubbing his backside.

"Silence." Sesshoumaru commanded, and Josef immediately quieted, looking up at him as if waiting for another command. But he just turned away.

"Thank you for indulging us. We're really sorry if we caused you any trouble. And also, thank you, Mr. Gregori, for helping us. We're-" A cold look from the taiyoukai. "Well, I'm grateful. If you ever have need of us, such as for tracking, healing, or anything else, please find us. We'll repay our debt." Kagome bowed to each of them in turn, and followed the silver inu out of the hut.

"That...wasn't what I expected." Raven murmured, a little dazed. The power from the two had been a little overwhelming. "They weren't what I was expecting."

"Yes. Granted, they went a little overboard just for some answers, but they didn't seem evil. Did they, Gregori?" Savannah asked, holding onto his arm.

Gregori looked thoughtful. "I suppose not. But I wonder why he didn't respond normally to the mental pushes? Does his make-up make him immune, perhaps?" He thought aloud, turning to Mikhail with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should send one of the warriors to follow them. Of course, they could also 'help' the two."

Raven frowned. "You can't possibly want to spy on them."

"No, I think it's a good idea. Why not send...Lucian?"

Savannah gasped. "You would send him? But he's so close to turning! Especially now that his twin, Gabriel, found his lifemate, and he doesn't have any drive to keep in this world!" But then she paused; she saw where this was going.

"Yes, you get it. We'll send Lucian, then, to accompany them. And, perhaps he can learn something interesting from the two. Gregori, I'll leave the telling up to you. Good luck."

**xx**

"Miko, it's time to stop for the night. The stream is only a few yards east." He pointed in the direction. When she was gone, he called into the night air, "This Sesshoumaru know you two are following us. Show yourselves, before I lose what little patience I have."

There was a mild curse, before a dark shape dropped from the treetops. The shape became Josef, his arms sporting what looked like feathers, his body clumsy on the ground. He was frowning, and had his tongue sticking between his teeth, as if he were concentrating on something. But it disappeared when Sesshoumaru growled at him, commanding him without words to tell him what he was doing following them.

"Josef, you should return to the village." Another voice, softer, pure velvet, came from up above, beautiful. It was beguiling in itself, and Sesshoumaru glanced up despite himself to see another shape materialize in the growing darkness.

This man was very tall, very powerful, and dark. He was a predator in human-like guise, Sesshoumaru could tell that instantly. He was completely still up in the treetops, watching, waiting with emotionless black eyes. They were empty as they scolded the pup, who cringed, his scent taking on that of fear. Long black hair surrounded a stoic face, showing off pure white teeth and strong features. Old World features. They were familiar to the inu, somehow, but he couldn't place them.

Both boy and man were wearing simple traveling clothes; dark pants and shirts, altough Josef was wearing jeans. Even their shoes were dark. Sesshoumaru was beginning to expect that these "Carpathian" people didn't own any bright colors.

"I'm fine here!" Josef replied after a moment's hesitance, hating the slight tremor in his voice. He couldn't help be afraid, though. This was one of the ancients, of descent of the Daratrazanoff line. Lucian, twin to Gabriel, nearly 2,000 years old, and a powerful predator who had spent most of his centuries killing. You'd have to be stupid to not fear him.

"That is not what I care about, young one. It is not safe outside of the village, and you will return immediately." Lucian's voice dropped an octave, turning compelling, commanding obedience.

Josef stiffened, about to protest, when Kagome wandered back into the clearing. She didn't even seem to notice the two at first; instead, she walked over to Sesshoumaru, handing him the water bottle she'd had on her back in Feudal Japan that had carried over with them. He showed a fang as he stared at it, wondering exactly how he was going to work it. He was just bending his head to sink his fangs into the plastic when Kagome let out an "eep!", finally noticing the two males.

"Josef, when did you get here? And who's that?" She asked, rudely pointing at each of them in turn.

Josef grinned at seeing her. "Hi, Ms. Kagome! I was hoping I could travel with you two, because I think you guys are really cool, and I want to learn more about you. And, besides, I was hoping I could learn some things from you." The last part was mumbled, as if he were afraid of what she'd say.

Kagome worried her bottom look, missing the dark look Lucian sent the boy. She shrugged after a moment. "It's not relaly up to me if you can come or not, it's up to Sess-what are you doing?" She asked the inu in question, who currently had his fangs in the bottom part of the bottle and was sucking out the water.

He gave her a glare until he'd finished drinking all the water. Satisfied, he lifted his hand, summoning his poison to melt the bottle. It annoyed him, as did the shriek Kagome let out.

"Sesshoumaru! I needed that! Now how am I going to carry around water?!" She yelled, knowing it hurt his sensitive ears but not really caring at the moment.

"Silence, miko." He hissed, before turning to Josef. "This Sesshoumaru has no objections to you joining our little group, but he is not the one who gets to decide." His golden gaze turned to Lucian, who immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not. Josef, return to your family. Once out of the protection of our warriors, I will have no way to protect you, and watch over this group." He was going to continue, but was forced to stop when the air in his throat was suddenly cut off by consticting claws. His eyes widened. _I didn't even see him move!_ Needless to say, he was surprised.

"Do not presume to think this Sesshoumaru needs your help, Carpathian. The two of us are far from weak." The inu growled right into Lucian's face, his upper lip curled in a classic inu snarl. His claws began to slowly penetrate skin.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, if we're going to rest here, are you going to need to hunt for food?" Kagome questioned, her aura expanding to surround the taiyoukai in a calming and soothing circle.

Sesshoumaru snarled once more, his teeth snapping together, before releasing the male, who held himself up, just barely. The youkai turned away, walking away with only a few parting sentences. "I suggest you 'protect' the miko if you value your life, Carpathian. I will hunt for us; miko, get a fire going."

Kagome nodded, and Josef jumped up. "Oh, oh, can I go with you?!" He asked, practically bouncing on his feet as he anxiously awaited the answer to his question.

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance back at him. "Do as you wish." Josef happily began trailing after him.

Lucian closed his eyes, and opened them a moment later to find Kagome staring at him. "Are you alright?" She questioned softly, her cerulean eyes understanding.

He felt some of the raging darkness inside his soul recede just a little, as impossible as that was. But it happened, and he actually found himself experiencing something he hadn't felt in almost 2,000 years; happiness. With this small slip of a girl staring at him, a smile dancing on her lips, his bleak world seemed a little brighter. He nodded slowly. "Yes, I am fine. Thank you."

Kagome nodded, allowing her smile to slip free. "That's good. Would you like to help me gather up some sticks for the fire? I've got some matches in my pocket to start it, but you can't have a fire without sticks." She laughed a little.

Lucian nodded and stood to help her, wondering what the other two were doing at that moment, and if they'd found something to hunt.

**xx**

Josef calmed his racing heart with difficulty, since he had no example to base it off of. Meaning, since he had no one near him with a calm heartbeat that he could allign his own to, it was much harder to do. He found he couldn't do it with Sesshoumaru's, because it appeared the youkai had an abnormally fast heartbeat all the time. Josef wanted to sigh. They were currently hiding among a bush, waiting for the opportune moment to strike out at the huge boar that was grazing in the forest. He didn't know why they were waiting, but the youkai had forced him to stay where he was. It was tiring, and boring.

"Knock it off, and hide your scent. You are going to alert our prey to our presence." Sesshoumaru's voice was right by his ear, and Josef almost jumped. Almost. "I am going to strike. Wait here; if, by some chance, I manage to miss, then you go in for the kill."

Josef nodded, and watched as the taiyoukai seemed to disappear before his very eyes. He moved with fluid grace, striking swiftly with those winking claws at the unprotected neck of the wild boar, slicing clean through it. It was dead instantly, with a clean cut, and bleeding on the forest floor. Josef waited a moment, making sure there wasn't anything he needed to do, before going to stand by the youkai.

"That was amazing! I barely even saw you move! Could you teach me to do that?! And those claws of yours! They're so sharp, they cut right through its body!" He was so excited his voice almost cracked.

Sesshoumaru glanced at him, cleaning his claws with his dexterous (a/n: I think that's the word.) tongue. Interesting. "The fact that you were able to see this Sesshoumaru move at all is a feat in itself. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to teach you some things." He thought about it, before nodding. "Yes, this Sesshoumaru will show you some skills. But not tonight. Tonight, we will bring the miko her dinner." He easily picked up the still-bleeding boar body in one hand, motioning to the motionless Josef with the other. "Come."

Josef snapped out of his stupor, happily prancing behind the youkai. He'd found someone who didn't think him a nuisance, and was going to actually train him! This was amazing! And it didn't hurt that his teacher happened to look very nice, and have very nice-smelling blood either...

**Ta-dah! What'd I say? They just keep getting longer, and it's not my fault! I imagine, I hope, the next one isn't going to be so long. Maybe. And guess what, people? I think, about 10 days until I go on my one-week vacation! That means no updates, but it means the beach! Yes! Okay, anyway, tell me what you think! Reviews, people. They make my world go round!**

**Ayame**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Nope, I own nothing. No one does except for, well, the authors and writers, but I digress. It's a new installment of Dark Days. And why is this coming so soon? Because this story is just so great, practically writing itself! Gosh, I hope that doesn't jinx me.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 7**

Kagome looked up when the two males returned, and resisted the urge to grimace at the beheaded boar. Lucian was resting against a tree, every one of his senses alert to any danger, and Josef trailed behind Sesshoumaru, stopping only when the youkai dropped the boar in front of Kagome.

"..." Kagome licked her lips. "Any chance you would want to skin that for me, and maybe cut it up too, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She asked, scooting a couple of inches away from the carcas.

Sesshoumaru muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Pathetic ningens" before kneeling before the carcas. In record time, he'd skinned it, tossing away the skins into the forest, far away so that any predators scenting them wouldn't be led here. He debated using his poison whip to slice up the meat, but he really had no reason to kill the miko with his poison...yet, so he shucked that idea, and cut the meat into t-bone-sized pieces. He ignored Kagome's quiet thanks, grabbed half the meat for himself to eat, and seated himself on the side of the area across from Lucian.

"Are you going to eat that raw?" Kagome asked, spearing three pieces of the meat on sticks.

Sesshoumaru ate the first piece of meat, his jaw stretched impossibly wide to fit in the whole piece. He chewed and swallowed before answering. "This Sesshoumaru has no need to cook his food like you, miko. This youkai body would reject anything that is cooked, for it would be foreign to me." And he ate another piece.

"Oh. That makes sense. Wait, then how come Inuyasha eats cooked food all the time?"

Sesshoumaru growled, a short fierce sound that made her cringe. "The hanyou is not a true youkai. Because he is a lowly half-breed, a creature born from a _ningen_, he eats ningen food." He ate another piece in one bite.

"I...see." She frowned, but didn't say anything more. Not that she really had anything to say anyway. She turned back to her meat.

Lucian watched the pair covertly, his eyes on the forest around them but his attention centered with them. They were so different than anything he'd ever known. They didn't even smell like anything he'd encountered before in his long life. The male smelled virile, full of life and enriching blood. And also, of power. An undefinable power that was completely foreign. The female smelled...pure, for lack of a better word. There was no taint of evil on her, no taint of anything other than the male's scent. Yet, there was...something exudeing from her, something that eluded his nose when he tried to sniff it out. It appeared she was hiding something from him, although whether she herself knew that she was hiding it he couldn't tell.

Suddenly, Kagome turned to give him a small smile, and again Lucian felt that odd sensation of the beast inside him settling down, giving him a moment's respite. It was so odd; that shouldn't happen unless he'd found his lifemate, and yet he knew that she couldn't be his lifemate. He'd heard her voice, and if she were his other half, that would have restored his emotions, his ability to see colors. Yet, he had no colors; although, his bleak world seemed a little less dim from a tiny speck of hope that was a crystal lodged in his still heart. It only reinforced his knowledge that there was something...completely foreign about these two, the fact that this woman could do something that no one should be able to do unless they were the other half of his soul. It didn't make sense. If he could feel emotions, Lucian knew he'd be getting angry right about now.

Sesshoumaru could feel Josef's eyes on him, and a runble of annoyance slipped out before he could stop it. He finished off his meat, waited for Kagome to finish the piece she was on, before speaking. "Miko, go wash up in the river. You, go with her." He commanded.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but stood up anyway. "Fine; watch my meat. We'll be back in twenty minutes." She disappeared, and Lucian followed, after directing a glare at the taiyoukai.

Josef looked confused as to why he wasn't ordered to leave, but that cleared up when the inu spoke.

"You are hungry, and too proud to ask for food. Fine; feed." Sesshoumaru commanded, gesturing to the meat as his claws began running idly through his Mokomoko-sama.

Josef gulped, looking at the pulse on Sesshoumaru's neck, rather than the meat before him. He could practically feel that sweet blood coating his tongue, running thickly down his throat and soaking into his cells...

"So, my istincts were correct. You, like the healer, require blood to replenish yourself. That would explain the stench of old blood around your mouth. Come here." Josef immediately went over to him, sitting in front of him on the ground. Sesshoumaru stoically raised his wrist to his mouth, puncturing right over the vein with two clean holes. He held it out to Josef, who just couldn't resist that sweet scent calling him.

He bent his head, clutching that lean wrist to his mouth, taking first a few licks, catching those thick beads of blood and savoring the taste as they rested on his tongue. Rich blood, salty, but not the normal almost metallicy taste that human blood held. It was not unlike the blood of an animal; tasting it made him feel nostalgic, in a way, but he couldn't figure out why. Wanting, _needing_ more of that heavenly "food," he pressed down with his elongated canines, pulling them put to suck up the blood. It was so good, he shivered, his cells soaking it up fast. He drank more than he needed, something inside him storing up the excess blood so he could go longer than before without feeding, before pulling back, inexpertly sealing the wounds with his tongue.

Sesshoumaru seemed completely uneffected by the bloodloss, whereas even an ancient Carpathian would be feeling slightly dizzy at such a drain. Instead, Sesshoumaru merely lifted his wrist to his own mouth and sealed the puncture marks completely, licking off the smeared blood, so that his skin was completely unmarked. Then he took a dainty sniff at the air, his eyes narrowing. _His scent has changed minutely. It isn't by much, but he smells more like an inu now. Perhaps that is from drinking this one's blood._

Josef jumped when Mokomoko-sama wrapped around him, sliding along his skin to move him out of the youkai's way and against the tree. He was a little disgruntled at being moved against his will, but he was sated from the blood, and couldn't find the energy to really care. He just watched as Sesshoumaru turned his head to the side, as if listening to something. He was up and walking before Josef even had time to comprehend what was going on.

**xx**

"So, you never did tell us what your name was." Kagome commented, splashing some of the cold water on her face.

Lucian glanced to the side before answering. "My name is Lucian Daratrazanoff. The healer you met, Gregori, is one of my brothers." He told her, although why he offered that last bit of knowledge he didn't know. It seemed to just come out of him, even when he didn't care who knew.

"Hm. I can't really see a resemblance. I'm discounting the height, width, and hair color of you guys, because all 'Carpathians' seem to have those traits. Actually, it's very hard to tell any of you apart; you've all got dark eyes too. Except for the healer; his were silver."

She was more thinking aloud now than actually talking to him, but he didn't mind listening to her voice. It rose and fell with each of her emotions; she seemed to hold nothing back, and didn't lie either. She was so expressive, and he could practicall siphon the emotions off of her, and feel them himself. Lucian closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"Ah!" Kagome gasped, jerking her head up as a familiar feeling worked through her body.

"What is it?" Lucian asked, instantly alert and sending his consciousness seeking for any threat.

"Miko." Sesshoumaru was suddenly there, Josef trailing behind him as he stepped up to the stream. Kagome turned towards him, an odd look on her face.

"Sesshoumaru, I sense a jewel shard. But, it's...different. Tainted, but more tainted by evil than I've ever sensed, even with Naraku." Kagome's eyes were wide, almost shocked, and she put a hand over her own almost-complete Shikon Jewel, feeling it pulse beneath her palm. Almost as if it were recognizing this other shard. But that seemed impossible.

"Where is it coming from?" Sesshoumaru asked, using his Mokomoko-sama to place Josef on his back and picking Kagome up effortlessly. He turned to Lucian once he was finished. "See if you can keep up."

"It's that way. It's a ways off yet, but I can sense it, although it seems to be moving. Almost like it's coming...here, I think, but it's hard to pinpoint its exact location." She pointed south, and Sesshoumaru took off, his flight smooth and jarless.

Lucian cursed silently and forced his body to change shape, becoming a raptor for easy flight. He followed the white and black blur, winging past trees and leaves as fast as he could, unable to believe that even as a rapto, he still had trouble catching up to the taiyoukai.

"Wait! Sesshoumaru, it's turning left! A couple hundred miles left now!" Kagome whispered close to his sharp ear, knowing she didn't need to shout because of his sensitive hearing.

Sesshoumaru changed his course without answering her, moving easily throughout the foliage. He could hear the raptor following him, almost silent among the trees. It was unusual, that the raptor carried the exact same scent as that Lucian. Then again, perhaps he'd changed shape. Youkai could do it; why not Carpathians as well?

"Sesshoumaru! It's changed course again! I-it's coming right towards us now!" Kagome whispered, her nails digging into Sesshoumaru's clothed shoulder. She was beginning to feel sick to her stomach again, that feeling of wrongness encompassing her much like when they'd run into that creature before.

"It's a vampire!" Josef hissed from behind her, his scent suddenly giving way to fear. "We can't fight a vampire! Leave it to Lucian, and lets get out of here!" He practically begged, hearing a high-pitched wail running along the air that originated from that vile creature.

"We will not run. I will fight this creature; miko, you will stay back and guard the pup. The bodyguard will fight with me." Sesshoumaru commanded, stopping instantly and dropping to the ground. He placed Kagome down, along with Josef, and began walking foreword, feeling the raptor stare at his back before following him.

"A-are you sure we s-shouldn't stop him?" Josef asked, watching as Kagome closed her eyes and held out a hand that glowed a beautiful blue color. "What're you doing?"

Kagome smiled and flicked her wrist; the blue expanded to encompass the two of them. "I'm setting up a barrier. Nothing evil can pass it; youkai will be purified on the touch, but I don't know what'll happen to a vampire if it tries to get through. I just know it won't be able to."

Josef was confused, and forgot his fear as he began questioning her. "But, how? I didn't see you put up any safeguards!"

Kagome frowned. "Safeguards? What are those? I just expanded my energy and created a wall of my powers. That's all there is to it." She called a tiny circular ball to her hand made of her miko powers, and showed it to him.

"Wow! What else can you do?" He asked, automatically sharing the images with his father. It was second nature for Carpathians to share any new knowledge they learn with family.

"Wait. I feel something coming towards us." She whispered and dispersed the ball, reinforcing her barrier with the extra energy. It wasn't the wrongness that she felt with the other two people, but it wasn't the dangerous, warm feeling of the other Carpathians they'd met. It confused her.

"What is it? Another vampire?" Josef asked, staring into the darkness.

"No, I don't think so. It...resembles you Carpathians, but I can't really tell. Do you feel anything?"

Josef pushed out his senses, and _did_ find another Carpathian, but he didn't recognize this one. It was a loner, someone who was probably coming to see the Prince. But, the fact that he didn't recognize the man, he knew it was a man, made him nervous. "It's one of us, but I don't know him." He said, growing more worried by the second.

"Oh. Oh, dear. Well, I wonder if the other two are in better shape than us, handling that vampire. I almost wish I were there, instead of here."

Josef gaped, but he couldn't really fault her for thinking that. He was thinking the same thing, actually.

**xx**

Sesshoumaru eyed the cave, waiting for the creature to come out and confront him. He'd begun to realize that these 'vampires' were cowards. He snorted lightly, and glanced over at Lucian as he materialized.

"You should return to your companion and protect her and the boy. I will handle this creature." Lucian turned to the cave and sauntered in.

Sesshoumaru growled and followed him. He'd never allow anyone to order him around. He hid himself in the shadows to get a good look at Lucian's strength.

"Bernard. I had thought you perished long ago, but it appears you merely vanished." Lucian slowly stepped closer to the drooling grotesque creature, ignoring the hiss of warning. "It pains me to say this, but I will have to destroy you, old friend."

Sesshoumaru watched with mild interest as the two conversed, before suddenly, without warning, Lucian attacked. He moved pretty fast, as fast as some youkai he knew, ripping out Bernard's burned heart and tossing it far away. While he began burning the body, Sesshoumaru picked up the bleeding heart, his poison melting the venomness blood. He studied it, before discreetly sniffing it. It smelled vile, much worse than even the rankest pits in Feudal Japan. Shrugging, he disintigrated it with his poison, and looked up to find Lucian watching him, the vampire completely gone.

"We should get back to the others." Lucian spoke up, having decided to ignore the fact that Sesshoumaru had just _sniffed_ the heart of a vampire.

The youkai merely stepped away to return back the way they'd come.

**xx**

Kagome wondered how long this staring contest could go on. Just about ten minutes ago, a man had come out of the trees, walking towards them with unknown purpose. He'd paused upon reaching the barrier, reaching up a hand towards it with a bewildered expression on his face, but he hadn't tried to pass through it. Instead, he'd taken to staring first at Josef, and then Kagome. And they'd been standing there ever since.

This stranger had the looks of most Carpathians; long dark hair, a lean yet powerful figure, a great height. He even wore dark clothes, btu it was me a dark shirt. He actually wore jeans, smooth and clean. But, he had one distinct feature that seperated him from the other Carpathians.

This man had intense golden eyes.

Kagome continued to stare into those beautiful eyes, eyes that reminded her of the silver inu bloodline, breathing deeply as she maintainted her barrier. Besider her, Josef was bravely keeping his cool, not doing anything to betray his feelings of uselessness and fear. Of course, he didn't know this stranger could smell it, and worse, sense it on him. He sucked on his bottom lip, turning to Kagome to ask her something, when she suddenly turned around and opened up a small doorway in the barrier, closing it immediately behind a white and bluish blur.

"I notice you guys defeated the vampire." She smiled at them.

"We did. Lower your barrier." Sesshoumaru commanded.

Kagome frowned, but a quick glance at Sesshoumaru's face said she'd better obey him. She shrugged and released the power she'd been holding together, feeling a little lightheaded once it was gone. That disappeared almost instantly though.

The stranger stayed where he was for a moment, before walking foreword to stand in front of Kagome, frowning as he bent down to sniff at her. She gave Sesshoumaru a "what-the-heck?" look, not moving.

"I remember you. You are that Savage twin; Aiden, wasn't it? What are you doing so far away from your territory?" Lucian questioned, subtly moving so that the stranger would back off Kagome.

It took another moment for the stranger to speak. "I was tracking the vampire that passed through here, when I came across a particular scent. I followed it here, to this girl. Have you noticed yet, Old One?" Aiden questioned, still staring at Kagome. She began to feel a little uneasy, watching him watch her.

"You had better state your business before this Sesshoumaru takes it upon himself to rid you of your existance."

At once, Aidan changed; he became dangerous, deadly, his entire attention focused on Sesshoumaru. "Who are you to order me around?"

Sesshoumaru's cold gaze turned into a glare, but Kagome quickly difused the situation by stepping between the two. "Well, what are you doing here, Mr. Savage?" She asked, smiling disarmingly.

Julian swung his eyes back to her. "I will be leaving soon anyway. Now that the vampire is gone, I will return to Julian. Goodbye, my lady." He smiled a little, bending to place a kiss on her forehead. And then he disappeared, dissolving into water droplets in the air.

"Okay, that was weird." Kagome commented, resisting the urge to rub her forehead.

"So it would seem. Here." Sesshoumaru handed a bloody, black shard to Kagome; it was larger than the shards from the Feudal Era, and wider. It had been imbedded in the center of the vampire's heart.

"Oh, thanks." Kagome took the shard; instantly, the minute her fingers took hold of it, it was purified, becoming a glowing, periwinkle shard that twinkled in the light and exuded power. "These aren't like our shards, Sesshoumaru. There's something...different about them, but I can't tell what it is."

"Wow, what's that?" Josef asked, coming foreword to get a good look at the shard. He tried to touch it, but Sesshoumaru grabbed his wrist to stop him; who knew what would happen if a creature with a mounting darkness inside him touched this new type of shard.

"You called it a shard. What is it a shard from?" Lucian questioned, coming foreword as well to stare at the glowing piece of jewel.

_I wonder if we should tell them._ Kagome wondered, twitching her fingers around the jewel. Sesshoumaru ended up deciding for her, though.

"They come from a powerful jewel that is from our world. How a jewel came to be here we do not know. But they become tainted with evil when handled by the wrong people. Only a miko has the power to untaint, to purify them."

"I see." Lucian relayed the information to his brothers. He knew Gregori would relay it to Mikhail; they needed to know this.

"This one was tainted with...pure evil. Corruption, not Naraku's twisted evil. And it's bigger. I don't think this shard came from our jewel." Kagome told the youkai, fingering the jewel one last time before slipping it into her pocket. "We should go. I don't like being so close to the lair of that evil creature."

In answer, Sesshoumaru turned and began walking. Kagome went first, then Josef, and finally Lucian. It was all too weird to take in. First creatures who could disappear in mid air, call lightening, and drank blood, then evil creatures called vampires who carried new shards in them. What was this place?

**Augh, this took me hours to finish. Boring! And these continued to get longer! So, people, lets get some reviews going! Please, reviews! And or flames, if you want, but I'd prefer the former.**

**Ayame**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Inuyasha. Although, I went and bought Sesshy's soul on Amazon! And they charged me a fortune for it, I might add.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 8**

"Hey, I just realized something." Kagome paused, glancing up from the stream she'd been washing her face in.

"What?" Josef asked, standing behind her and to the left, close to Sesshoumaru, while Lucian was standing on the other side.

"Well, that guy looked exactly like Julian. Except, you know, he looked harsher, more stoic."

Lucian nodded. "That is because Aidan and Julian are twins. The Savage Twins, they're called. Aidan has not yet found his lifemate, which makes him less approachable than Julian."

She nodded; that made sense. "I see. So, does anyone know where we're going? I mean, we've only been traveling for a few days, but still, we have no idea where we're going. We've just been walking aimlessly." She stood and brushed off her butt, making sure nothing was sticking to it.

The ancient Carpathian looked thoughtful. "I have been thinking that perhaps it would be best to try the De La Cruz brothers, who inhabit a ranch in Brazil, near the Amazon River. They are ancients, just like Gregori and I, and perhaps they can help you more than we have."

"How are we going to get to Brazil? I mean, we could fly, but they can't change shape. They'd have to take a plane, or something, and I don't think they have the money for that." Josef shook his head at Lucian.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes and exhale in exasperation. People were annoying, no matter their species. "There is a simple solution to this problem. We will take this Sesshoumaru's youkai cloud, which can travel long distances in shorter time than it would take to use his energy ball. It can carry all of us."

Kagome gasped, clapping. "You mean that cool floating thing you usually ride around on?! This is awesome!"

The Carpathians looked confused, but obediently followed Kagome's lead to stand right next to and behind the taiyoukai. Josef gasped, feeling the ground beneath him move away, and felt for the first time a sense of vertigo. Underneath their feet, a swirling mist appeared, blocking the view of the ground from them. Because they were watching everything ground-level fall away from them, they didn't see Sesshoumaru's eyes turn demonic red, or his markings become more pronounced as his fangs elongated. They probably wouldn't have been afraid, but it was good they didn't see yet all the same.

Josef kept his eyes wide open, merging his mind with his father Vlad's to share this wonderful experience with him. _It's like we're flying as one of the animals, but we didn't shapeshift! We're actually riding on a cloud!_ He spoke telepathically and excitedly, glancing left and right to catch all that he could to show them.

_This is quite enchanting, Josef. You are very lucky to be experiencing such a thing, although don't think this gets you off the hook of disobeying my orders and leaving the mountain unprotected. When you return, you will be in trouble._ Vlad responded a little bit later, his voice carrying the smallest note of disapproval.

Josef winced. _I'm sorry, dad. I didn't mean to disobey you, but I had to do this! I want to learn more, and all the men are busy as warriors here! Sesshoumaru promised he'd teach me, and I'm looking foreword to it._

Next to speak was his mother. _Josef, I wish you would come back to us. We only just got you back, and now you're leaving us again? Why?_

He cringed, unable to bear the heartache in her voice. So, he closed his mind off to them, after sending them more pictures of the beautiful landscape before him. When he glanced around again, this time with only his eyes, he saw Lucian watching him with an unreadable gaze. He turned away from that, too, and decided to just watch the full moon as they passed it.

"Mm. From up here, it all looks the same." Kagome whispered, closing her eyes to breathe in the night air.

Everyone turned to look at her with varying degrees of confusion. She smiled, feeling the looks, but didn't open her eyes. "I mean that no matter where you are, or where you're from, if you're up in the sky, it all pretty much looks the same. The landscapes, the trees, the water. Nothing really changes, does it?"

Josef and Lucian really didn't have anything to say to that. After all, they'd traveled, but they knew that these two had seen a completely different world than them. It was a conversation more suited between the outsiders.

Sesshoumaru breathed in deeply, savoring the clean scent that wafted to his nose. It wasn't clouded with the scent of unclean ningen, or even youkai. It smelled pure, and he relished that. "I agree, Miko. The smells may be different, the people may not be the same, but the world always stays teh same. Beautiful, something magical created to be admired, and yet it isn't appreciated to its full extent." His arms lifted a little from his sides, palms out, as if to embrace the night sky above them. He looked...content, surprisingly. It was a fleeting look that passed across his face quickly, but it was there. And it was beautiful as well.

Lucian allowed his own lids to fall closed, and just drifted up there, in the air. In all his ancient, nearly 2,000 years of life he'd never once relaxed. Maybe, as a child he'd had some carefree moments, but he'd never let his guard down. Here, up in the sky, surrounded by the night and the soothing presence of the three with him, he could let go, and just let himself fly free. If only for this time, he was truly himself, and deep in his dark heart, he was thanking these outsiders for this gift to him.

Kagome felt a weight ease off her chest, and put a hand over her sternum a little confusedly. She hadn't noticed it before, how heavy her heart had seemed while they were traveling. But now, at this moment, she felt like she had when sitting with Shippo and Rin, teaching them how to draw the clouds in the sky. It was a heady feeling, a little weightless, as if nothing dark were touching her. Not even Sesshoumaru's youkai was setting her powers off. _This is nice. I wish it were always like this._ She thought, smiling.

Josef watched the others, admiring how they all seemed to completely relax beneath the moon. He envied them for it, how even for a little bit in time they could release their troubles. He wished he could do the same. He wished he wasn't thinking about the vampires, about how in just a few centuries he would be fighting that age-old battle against the rising darkness inside him. He wouldn't be able to rest at all. That is, if his kind even survived that long.

**xx**

"Oh, wow! It all looks so pretty from up here!" Kagome breathed, looking down at the landscape below them. Who knew Brazil would look like this? She'd only seen pictures of it, but they didn't do the country justice.

"When you get down there I imagine you won't be feeling the same way." Lucian commented, imagining all of the insects and wild creatures they'd encounter along the way. Women usually freaked out at stuff like that.

"Probably not. But I can always enjoy it while we're up here, right?"

"Where are we landing?" Sesshoumaru questioned, his youkai cloud pausing above the Amazon.

Lucian thought about it, scouting the area around them for any sense of Carpathians. He sensed all of them, of course, but he was seeing which ones were the closest. "Rafeal and his lifemate are at the ranch, along with Zacarias. I can sense Riordan and his lifemate in the Amazon, but their location is...indeterminable. It appears they keep moving around; perhaps they're hunting. Set us down at that banking right there. We'll track them from there."

They were on the tiny hill in a matter of seconds; the Carpathians felt a tiny sense of relief to be out of the air after such a long time, but the other two only felt slight disappointment. None of them showed these emotions, though, and stood waiting for some new instructions. When no one spoke, Sesshoumaru raised his head a little bit.

"What does this Riordan smell like? A determinable scent; this Sesshoumaru will have a better time tracking him wth something to work with."

Lucian's own nose twitched as he thought about it. "Old blood; for a time he was bled virtually dry. He smells of the jungle, obviously, and there is probably the scent of a jaguar around him, mixed with the earthen scent of our people. A tiny scent of horses and hay, but it's overpowered by...the scent of the cat. It is strong in both of them." Lucian breathed in deeply himself, searching out the unfamiliar scent.

"I have it. Miko, pup, climb on. We need to be fast to catch them."

Josef, of course, felt a jolt of elation at being able to sit atop that broad shoulder, cradled in that soft fur that made him feel so protected. Kagome just thought that it was much better riding Sesshoumaru, and was grateful, secretly of course, that she was getting more time off of walking. Lucian wasn't thinking anything; he had to follow the youkai by himself, so he chose to shape-shift into the form of a large black wolf. (a/n: It appears that form runs in his family.)

"Be swift, for this Sesshoumaru will not slow down or wait for you."

Sesshoumaru lifted his nose, sniffed like the inu he was, and caught the scent. He wanted to smirk, something that would obviously be quite evil looking, but he didn't. Instead, he took off, dodging trees and rocks and jumping agiley (a/n: Did I spell that right?) over streams. Lucian followed as fast as he could, moving with the grace only a creature of canine descent could possess.

It took the taiyoukai the better half of 25 minutes to catch up with the Carpathians running as jaguars, for they were running through the Amazon at amazing speeds. If they knew they were being tracked was unknown, but they were quite good at eluding him. He would have growled in annoyance, but his noble standing didn't allow that.

"Woah. Can you feel that power?" Kagome breathed right next to his ear, and his amber eyes flicked at her for a second before returning to the trees moving past them with amazing speed.

"What power? I can't feel anything." Josef questioned, sending his consciousness outward. He couldn't feel anything, evil or otherwise. Well, he could feel Riordan and his lifemate, but that was it.

Kagome shook her head slowly. "It's faint, but it's there. I'm not sure what it is, but it's familiar. I know I've felt this before, but...gah!" She smacked her forehead in agitation.

"Calm down. It will come to you eventually. Focus on the present for now." Sesshoumaru commanded, a little agitated himself since he couldn't feel anything. At least, anything that was familiar to him. He wanted to play it off as her imagination, but in the past Kagome had had little hunches like this, and they usually turned out to be very important in the future. So, he'd just let it work itself out.

"They're just up ahead." Lucian shifted shape once more, materializing behind them.

Sesshoumaru's nod was his answer, and he let his two "passengers" down. They were just meters away from a large outcropping of rocks that hid a small cave. The group paused, hearing a low growl come from the cave. Sesshoumaru backed up; he wasn't afraid, he just wanted the others to move back so that he'd have room to defend them if they were attacked.

From the darkness of the cave walked two large cats, the female smaller than the other but impressive all the same. They were crouched low to the ground, practically crawling on their stomachs, until they stopped aways from the group. The male jaguar was the first to change, becoming a tall man with long, dark hair and dark eyes. He was naked at first; he fashioned jeans and a t-shirt in the way of his people, using his mind. The woman changed next, becoming a beautiful female with long hair and strange turquoise eyes, so different of the people of their kind. She was immediately clothes in much the same before she even finished changing. Both stared unblinking at these intruders on their resting place.

"You are Riordan De La Cruz. We have come searching for you help." Lucian stepped foreword, bowing with Old World grace.

The dark man nodded, giving a bow in return. "You know of me, yet I do not know your names. Perhaps that should be remedied." His lifemate, Juliette, crowded close behind him, her fingers curling around his bicep.

"I am Lucian Daratrazanoff."

Riordan growled suddenly. "That is impossible. There were rumors that you were either dead, or turned vampire. Turned is the more likely. You are a fool to come here to challenge us."

It was a common reaction; after all, Lucian had acted like a vampire to stop his own twin Gabriel from succumbing to the darkness. But he knew he wasn't turned yet, even though the darkness was always calling him. What he didn't expect, though, was for Kagome to speak up on his behalf, even though she'd only known him a few days, if even.

"Who do you think you are? If you can't tell, he's obviously being rational, speaking to you and not attacking. And besides, I heard vampires are completely evil. It's impossible for Lucian here to be a vampire, because he isn't evil."

Juliette glanced curiously at her, but Riordan voiced their thoughts. "How would you know that, unless you're his lifemate? But that is not true; I cannot smell the bond on you. Would you care to explain?"

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, and shrugged. "Sure. I'm a miko, a pure creature. Nothing evil can touch me. If Lucian were evil, he'd have been purified instantly, being in such close contact with me. Or, at the least, be repelled by my barriers." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That is not particularly true, Miko." Sesshoumaru contradicted, inclining his head. She turned to give him an annoyed and confused look. He sighed. "The people here are not evil in...our sense of the word. We think of evil as youkai, creatures who are evil throughout their entire being, and cannot be changed. The creatures here aren't like that. They...grow in darkness, I believe. It is not evil until they start killing. They cannot be purified, although the darkness can lesson, which is what it seems to do around you." It was an intriguing concept, one that he wished he would have more time to study, although that wasn't likely to happen.

Riordan, as well, was interested in such a thing. He'd never heard of someone who could lesson the darkness in a Carpathian male, someone who wasn't that male's lifemate. "Is this true? Are you able to make the darkness recede without any long-lasting consequences?" He demanded, moving closer without thinking about it.

Kagome shrugged, a little self-conscious over the attention she was suddenly recieving. "I don't know what'll happen when he leaves, if you're wondering about that. It could only be temporary. And besides, I don't even know what I'm doing. It just happens. Hey, why don't we just ask Lucian? Lucian, do you feel better when you're near me? Is this 'darkness' thing easier to handle now?"

Lucian closed his eyes, looking deep inside, where the beast was currently leashed and resting. He nodded. "Yes. I can feel...small things, emotions that I haven't felt in centuries. They aren't true, I think, they're probably siphoned off of you three, but they're there. And the never-ending call to kill, to gorge myself on blood, has diminished for the first time in my life. You are correct in thinking that the beast isn't chained forever, but as of right now, it's calm. I am calm."

Riordan was stunned. This was so odd! Nothing like this should be real, and yet it was. He could feel it himself; the automatic competitive nature of a Carpathian male wasn't there, even though an unmated male was near his lifemate. Well, it was there, but it wasn't swimming just beneath the surface. Instead, he was feeling almost...tranquil. It gave him an idea, one he shared with Juliette.

_I see where you're coming from. That makes sense, that you'd want to try that. The only question is will they agree?_ The juguar female turned Carpathian spoke in his mind, nodding at him.

He thought about that. _Well, they said they came for the help of our family. Perhaps we can trade our help for theirs. Or rather, hers._

She nodded, agreeing with him. It was a simple plan, and would hopefully work. Otherwise, they would be in for much hurt.

Sesshoumaru waited for the twosome to speak; a slight tingling in the area above his temples alerted him to the fact that there was something going on beneath the surface. While he waited, he sniffed the area around them, and found the lingering scent of a mix of the scents of these two creatures. He decided to just block that scent out of his nose; he had no way of knowing if his inner youkai would react to such knowledge or not.

"Hm. We will believe you for now. May I introduce my lifemate, Juliette? And would you introduce the rest of yourselves?" He asked politely, although he was feeling anything but.

Lucian looked at Josef, who turned to Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Sesshoumaru, who was never one to introduce himself, allowed Kagome to do the honors.

"This is Sesshoumaru. I'm Kagome. He's Josef. You know, this is getting really tiresome, always introducing ourselves. It'd be better if it were like in Feudal Japan, where everyone knows us, or knows our reputations. Like you, Sesshoumaru; humans and youkai alike fear you." She snorted, covering her mouth and a hand.

A twitch of his eyebrow was the only indication of a slight anger firing up his bloodstream. "Yes, Miko, and you would do well to follow their example. But, since you are but a mere ningen with no extraordinary skills except your pureness, this Sesshoumaru does not really expect that." Delivering that barb, he waited expectantly for her reaction.

He didn't have to wait long. "Ah! You overbearing, conceited, arrogant youkai! 'This Kagome' may be a weak human, but I bet you I could purify you as easily as any other youkai!" Her hands started glowing at the thought.

He growled at the insult directed at him in those words. "If you were to dare to try to purify this person, I would melt you with my poison in a second." He snarled at her, finally showing some emotion. Too bad it had to be anger.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And in that second I could purify so much of your body that there wouldn't be enough left to run the Western Lands! They'd have to give your position to Inuyasha!" _Ha! Let's see what you say to that._ She thought, wanting to smile in victory.

His growl intensified, practically ripping from his throat. Even the Carpathians felt sharp fear bite through them hearing that ferocious sound, shivering in reaction. In the blink of an eye, Kagome was pressed up against a tree, her throat caught in a constricting clawed hand that was slowly cutting off her air supply. But she refused to show her pain.

"Do not think, _human_, that this Sesshoumaru is so noble that he would not kill you right here where he stands. Just because I might need you to escape this world does not mean I can't always kill you anyway."

Kagome sneered at him. "Yeah, and you can always bring me back with the Tenseiga, right? So you get to appease your darker nature, and get a few kicks out of it as well. Wow, Lord Fluffy, you must be a strong guy! After all, it takes a strong man to kill a weak human!" She yelled right next to his ear, knowing he'd be in pain from that because of his sensitive inu hearing.

The others could sense the situation detiorating fast. They weren't really sure how it happened, really. Riordan was confused; weren't the two supposed to be friends, allies? And yet here they were, fighting each other, and promising the death of the other. Lucian was wondering if he'd have the strength and speed to push Sesshoumaru off of Kagome if it really got violent and he needed to save her, and Josef was just thinking he was glad he wasn't the one being held to a tree. But Juliette just rolled her eyes and stepped foreword, pushing her long hair over her shoulder.

"Well, this is fun and all, but can we get back to business? After all, you've got business with us, and we've found something we're going to need to discuss with you. So can we dispense with the threats?" She asked, exasperation in her voice.

Kagome agreed, but it was up to Sesshoumaru to back away. He did, but not before digging his claws in her neck, leaving sharp marks, and growling at her to remind her of who was the Alpha. She shrugged, pressed a glowing hand to her neck, and healed the marks before going to stand between Josef and Lucian. Juliette was right; it was time to get back to business.

**As much as I would love to continue this, it has gotten extremely long. And, I would cut it up, but I'm much too lazy to do that. So, do you guys know what Riordan and Juliette want from Kagome? Hm. They're added because I was just reading their story; it was cute. I want to get the manga version of it. But anyway! Guys, please give me some reviews for this story! The next update will come hopefully sooner, because I'm off of vacation now. TT.TT**

**Ayame**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Well, I did end up getting the manga version of Hot Blooded; it was pretty good. Drawings were a bit weird, but that's to e expected. I really wish they had a manga version of Jacques and Shea's story; that would be amazing. But anyway, I'm back from vacation, and I've finished the one-shot I was working on. I'll be working on this while working on the other one-shot; I've got ideas for both of them and I don't want to lose them. Enjoy this new installment! Previously, Juliette and Riordan have figured out they want something from Kagome and Sesshoumaru; the only question now is what do they want?**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 9**

"So, are you going to take us to the ranch?" Kagome asked, fingering her healed neck.

Juliette looked at Riordan, who nodded. "Yes, but first we need to stop at our home. My sister Jasmine and my cousin Solange will need to know we're leaving."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Actually, you will not need to do so. I can smell one large jaguar coming this way. She carries a scent similar to your woman, which means she is either the sister or the cousin. This will save us time."

Riordan sniffed the air. "It is Solange. She sensed danger in the air, and followed our trail. She should be here in a few minutes."

Josef, who was still feeling the effects of the mini fight from a few minutes earlier, moved to stand next to Lucian to allow room for the large female feline animal space to enter their area. He turned away to allow her privacy to change to her human form.

The jaguar disappeared to show a built female with short dark hair and angry eyes, wearing easy-to-miss clothes that could be taken for camouflage in the jungle. She glared at Sesshoumaru, at Josef, and at Lucian. She even sent a glare to Riordan, although they were related by marriage and she should have no reason to.

"What are you doing so far from home? And meeting with these _males_, no less!" She hissed, her eyes turning feline-esque in her anger.

Juliette shook her head. "Solange, we need the female that's protected by the males. Two of them are Carpathians; you remember our mother speaking of them, don't you?" She pleaded, her hands held up in a disarming motion.

Solange hissed again, but it was quieter. "Yes, I remember the Carpathians. You are now one, turned by him. So, once again, our family is to be infected with their presence."

Juliette felt sadness as she remembered the attacks the females in her family had faced from the males of their jaguar race. Rape, forced impregnation, vicious claws raking at the skin. It was horrible, and they'd begun to recently suspect that it was because of a master vampire that such attacks were happening. Solange, and Juliette's sister Jasmine had been two victims that she knew who'd been attacked recently.

Kagome smiled gently at the hostile woman. "We came to seek help from the De La Cruz family, and Riordan here said he'd take us to his brothers. Of course, apparently they want something from us as well, but I'm sure they'll tell us what that is in the near future. Are you going to come with us?"

Solange took a step back; there was something _too_ pure about this woman. She didn't like it, but since she wasn't a male, she found no reason to be overly hostile to her. "No, I will not join you. I have no reason to go to a house full of disgustingly overbearing _males_."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the venom coming from the woman. _Wow. Something must have happened to her to make her that way._

Sesshoumaru glanced up at the sky. "We should be leaving if you wish to cover any amount of ground tonight. Daylight is coming in just a few hours, and you will not be able to travel then. Miko, pup; come."

Kagome nodded and stepped over to him; Josef moved as well so that he was within easy reach of that retractable boa. Just as Sesshoumaru was going to reach and pick them both up, Solange raised a hand, halting any moment. They looked at her curiously.

"I forgot to warn you. There are more jaguars in this area than before, and they're becoming quite hostile. That master vampire you talked of earlier, Riordan, must be getting impatient. Watch the girl; I don't want an innocent to be destroyed because you men failed to protect her." Shifting shape with as little effort as breathing, she tore off into the jungle, leaving practically no trace that she'd been there before.

Before Kagome could voice any of her questions; she had quite a few too; Riordan spoke up.

"We will leave now, and travel until midmorning; if it gets too bad, we can always shift shape to try to ease the burns. But it would be best to cover as much ground as possible, especially since Solange just warned us of more male jaguars around."

Sesshoumaru silently agreed; the stench of cats so close to him bothered him and his inu senses; he could feel his inner beast growling in annoyance at it. He wanted to leave this jungle. "We will travel fast, then. Choose your fastest mode of transportation, and I will follow with the Miko and the pup. We are leaving now."

Riordan picked up Juliette and took off, his speed something to be matched, even by his kind. But, Sesshoumaru kept perfect pace with him, even carrying two other bodies. Riordan was surprised, but after watching the power of this being before, he supposed it was to be expected.

Kagome made sure to keep her eyes open as they traveled through the jungle, not wanting to miss any second of this experience. Although, it seemed all too soon that they arrived at the edge of the Amazon, parts of a cattle ranch and its house peeking through the edges of the trees. It was so quiet, so still; there seemed to be no one around.

"Is the rest of your family here?" Josef asked, glancing around as avidly as Kagome.

"I only told Zacarias to meet us. I've told him to meet us in the house; it would be easier to talk without interruptions then. I should warn you, though; he is as bad as Lucian in the ways of darkness. He has been long in this world without his light, and the darkness if forever calling to him. Sesshoumaru, it would be best that you guard your woman closely." Riordan stated making sure they understood the danger. Granted, he knew his oldest brother wouldn't do anything to the woman, it was against his morals, but they needed to take precautions anyway.

Sesshoumaru didn't even acknowledge the warning in the ways of words, but he did extend his yuki to make sure it included Kagome in its protection. She felt the difference in power around her, but gave it no mind, and instead tuned her senses to scan the area. She didn't feel any threats at the moment, but she made sure that her miko senses were on alert the whole time.

"Y-you know, I've heard that y-your oldest brother is a really scary guy. Is that true?" Josef hesitantly asked, unsure of the response he'd recieve from one of those terrible brothers.

Riordan resisted sighing. Honestly, he really should have expected this. "I suppose some would call him scary; even Rafael's lifemate, Colby, still thinks he's scary. But that is just because he's an ancient. As another male, you would be in almost as much danger as the female, but as a fledgling, you have nothing to worry about. Males don't feel the dominant, commanding feeling around those who aren't old enough for lifemates."

After hearing that, Josef couldn't figure out if he was relieved or insulted. After a moment, he decided he was both, and shut up. Riordan led the way.

_Zacarias, are you prepared? We are coming in._

The eldest De La Cruz sent his reply in an emotionless voice, like Sesshoumaru's, only without the subtle lilt to it. _I await your arrival. You must hurry; the early morning's rays can be felt even here, in the building. Do not allow any harm to come to you._

Riordan experienced a feeling of amusement; that was his brother, always trying to care for his family. "This way; we are almost there. Through the front door of the biggest house. I will lead the way."

They had just reached the porch when Josef noticed Kagome hadn't followed them. She was still standing near the fence, her face turned toward the Amazon, what could almost be called a calculating look on her face. Instinctively, Josef reached his mind out to hers but found a mental block, and sighed. Sesshoumaru, however, used his yuki to bring her back to the porch, within his protection.

"Do not just stand out in the open, Miko. It is foolish." He commanded, turning back to the door. With a bow of her head she went inside, into the lion's den so to speak.

**xx**

"I am Zacarias De La Cruz. Welcome to my home." Zacarias was the biggest of the De La Cruz brothers, burly and broad-shouldered and fairly brimming with power. Like most of the Carpathian species he was dark-haired and eyed, and unusually tall. His eyes held no emotion what so ever as they ghosted over Kagome, Josef, and Sesshoumaru before settling on Lucian. "How may I be of assistance to you?"

Kagome gave a bow of respect. "I'm Kagome, and this is Sesshoumaru. We've come hoping you, as an ancient even among ancients, might know a way for us to return home."

Zacarias raised an eyebrow. "And from where do you hail, Kagome and Sesshoumaru? Why can you not return there under your own power?" He was doing the courteous thing and not sifting through her memories for the answers.

Sesshoumaru, however, sensed that they didn't have the time to talk this through and walked over to the other male, ignoring his instinctive move backwards. "You may use my memories if you wish for the answers you seek; it will take less time than asking for them. However, this Sesshoumaru will only call upon the memories that have to do with the incidents that led us here; do not try to delve deeper into this mind."

Zacarias nodded and waited until Sesshoumaru's mind became open to him. Within seconds he was going through the memories of the taiyoukai, his face never betraying the thoughts circulating his own head. What unusual things he was learning, and yet some seemed familiar to him, familiar in the way that he'd known them since birth but hadn't given them a mere thought. He brought his mind back to his own head before speaking. "This magic that brought you here; I have no notion of what it might be. However, I did recognize something from your memories. The Shikon no Tama, you called it? The Sacred Jewel? I have not heard that name in centuries. But I believe that I have something that resembles that." He disappeared without another word, searching through his scarce personal belongings until he found what he was looking for. Returning, he held it out, the small glowing ball lying in the center of his palm. "Many centuries before Prince Vlad found his lifemate he created these jewels. No one asked how or why, and he did not volunteer the information. The Prince gave one of these to the oldest child of each Carpathian clan, and ordered us to protect them at all costs. The only thing he told us was that later on in our life the purpose of these jewels would be known, at the same time that there was a calamity befalling our people. I believe now that this time was what he meant, although how he could have known I have not the faintest idea."

With a look of rapture on her face stretched out a hand to the ball; it glowed even more brightly, expanding into pure energy and racing towards her chest. With a gasp she felt it enter her body, her very soul, and felt like she'd just received the best sleep of her life. She felt completely refreshed, as if a piece of her that had been missing these past days had finally returned to her. Her eyes shining, Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru, confused but hopeful. "What could this mean? We found only a shard before, but now it was a whole jewel! And it, it went inside me!"

Sesshoumaru frowned; he didn't like this new development. Were these really pieces, or wholes, of the Shikon Jewel? Or were they perhaps a cheap look-alike? Then again, they did respond to Kagome. What could all this mean?

Kagome worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "If only we could ask this Prince Vlad how he came to create these jewels. Oh, wait! Sesshoumaru-sama, you can travel to the place between worlds, can't you? To Hell?" She turned to him, hope shining in her eyes. Sesshoumaru almost hated to dash it. Almost.

"You forget, Miko, that this Sesshoumaru would require S'ounga to move between the worlds, as my father's fang is the key to the gates of Hell. And as S'ounga is currently in our home world, Feudal Japan, there is no way that this Sesshoumaru can get it, and use it to find this Vlad." And he wasn't certain that he could control the fang anyway. His youkai power would be too strong and S'ounga would feed on that, only becoming more evil and powerful instead of he bringing it under his control. To try to do so would be foolish, and Sesshoumaru was anything but a fool.

"Oh, you're right. I did forget that." She looked dejected, but her mind was already searching for new ideas on this new dilemma.

"You are able to travel between this world and the spirit world? With nothing more than a fang?" Zacarias asked, intrigued.

Without answering Sesshoumaru allowed his memories to surface of the fang; it was getting later and he could scent burnt skin and pain in the air. While he let Zacarias search the memories he spoke. "I believe it is best that we retire; this Sesshoumaru does not know how much longer he can stand the scent of your bodies experiencing what they are not meant to experience. The miko will stay with me, and the boy if he wishes. The rest of you had best "go to ground" or what it is that you do."

No one questioned him; all were glad to finally be getting out of the rising sun. Zacarias planted himself in the ground above Riordan and his lifemate, and Lucian covered himself feet away so that he could protect them if he felt a disturbance. Sesshoumaru placed himself against a wall in the ranch house, Kagome sleeping near his lap and Josef placed securely under the protective power of his yuki boa. Sleep claimed all three in minutes; the two foreigners didn't seem to notice that Josef's heart and lungs stopped while he slept.

Beneath the ground before sending himself to sleep along with his lifemate Riordan sent a mental call to his brother. _How are you feeling, Zacarias? Are you in pain from the sun's rays?_

Zacarias paused to think and mentally scan his body before replying. _Strangely, no I am not. I caught in the man's thoughts that the girl was a healer of some sort, but could she have unconsciously repaired any damage the sun did to my body?_ This was only getting more and more curious Zacarias couldn't help but think.

Deep in the earth Riordan let a smile grace his features before shutting down his heart and lungs to sleep. It seemed their plan was working after all.

**And there you have it! I had such writer's block when I had just gotten them to the ranch; in view of it anyway. And then all the sudden, INSPIRATION!!! Ding ding ding! If you knew the idea I've got for this, you'd be celebrating too! And I wrote it down, so I won't forget. Anyway, this is a little shorter, I think, but that's okay. I've got other stuff to write. Anyway, I'm back from the dead, so rejoice! And please review and tell me what you think.**

**~Ayame~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Why is it that this story is always the first one I update? Ask yourselves that question why don't you. No, really don't. Anyway, if I owned Inuyasha and the Dark series do you really think I'd be posting here? I thought not. Enjoy.**

**Dark Days**

**  
Chapter 10**

When Kagome awoke the next night Josef and the other Carpathians were awake and mulling about and Sesshoumaru was gone. With a glare inward and a scowl on her face she approached Lucian, hoping he might have some insight as to where the inu taiyoukai could have gone. Unfortunately he shot her hope down without her even asking a single thing.

"I have no idea where your friend has gone. He had already disappeared before any of us woke this rising." Lucian informed her, furious at himself for not noticing the youkai leaving in the first place. Although he had left his boa, which was a strange occurance in itself. None of them, including Kagome, had seen the inu without it since before that night.

"Darn it. What does he think he's doing, leaving us like that?!" Kagome raged, stomping her foot in agitation. This really pissed her off; they had work to do!

"Perhaps he had some business to take care of." Lucian commented, his cheeks flushed from his fresh feeding.

Kagome scoffed. "I doubt it! He probably just couldn't stand the 'stench of a human and Carpathians' and decided to leave and have his 'alone youkai time.' He's such a jerk!"

"It would be wise to watch your tongue, miko, lest someone cuts it out."

Kagome gasped and turned to see Sesshoumaru stop just feet inside the doorway, carrying what looked like a small bundle in his one hand. "Sesshoumaru! Where did you go?!" She demanded, her cerulean eyes flashing.

Sesshoumaru stared at her dispassionately before dropping the bundle at her feet. "This Sesshoumaru went to acquire more decent clothing for you for this era. Although perhaps he should not have bothered."

Kagome blinked, bending to pick up the bundle. Unwrapping it she saw inside were jeans and a light-pink t-shirt, along with a sweater. "Oh. Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama." He "hn-ed" and turned away, but Kagome saw that he, too, was wearing something different. Loose-fitting cloth sweat-pants that were the same color as his old clothes and a dark-blue turtle-neck sweater now covered his frame, and his hair was neatly braided down his back. She couldn't help but stare at the now modern Sesshoumaru, still blinking in astonishment.

"Miko, if you do not cease your ridiculous stare this Sesshoumaru will claw out your eyes. Go change." Sesshoumaru growled, annoyed at the girl for not the first time. He tries to help her fit in better and what does he get? This. See if he ever helped out again.

"Well? How do I look?" Kagome asked as she stepped back into the room.

Sesshoumaru's eyes traveled the form-fitting clothes before he turned away. "It is presentable, although why the women of this time would want to dress as men astounds this Sesshoumaru."

She laughed and placed a hand on her hip, striking a rather provacative pose. "It's called 'modern' Sesshoumaru; get with the program."

He rounded on her with a snarl. "One more comment, miko, and your life will be forfeit!"

Josef could see that this was going nowhere fast. He stepped foreword, unwinding the boa from his body, although it felt like it was resisting for some reason. "Sessoumaru-sama, here's your boa. I was going to clean it for you but I didn't think you'd like that. Thanks for leaving it with me while you went outside."

Sesshoumaru didn't say a word as the boa slithered out of Josef's hands and back onto his shoulder. It felt like his father's embrace, the feel of his youkino crawling back onto his body. He turned to Lucian, who seemed to be giving him an odd look, and demanded, "Where will we be going now?"

The Carpathian looked thoughtful. "I believe we are to go now and find the oldest child of each clan and get their jewel. We can strike the De La Cruz family from our list. I think the next option should be the Daratrazanoff clan, my line. It is hard to remember but I do seem to recollect an older sibling, older than Gabriel and I. The mental connection between us has not been used in centuries but I believe that my brother and I can find a way to connect with them."

Kagome nodded. "Is it a sister or a brother? Because between you and me it seems like your family only has sons besides Desari."

Lucian shrugged. "I cannot remember. This sibling was centuries older than us; we had only talked to them once or twice. Perhaps while we are looking we can investigate the Von Shreider family as well. It would not be too hard to communicate with them while we work."

"That would be a wise idea. For help I shall inform the rest of the Carpathians of your mission and who you will be going to. You should not run into much trouble or resistance from the rest of us." Zacarias informed them, his expressionless face still betraying no emotion.

"Oh! That's very nice of you Mr. De La Cruz. I'm really sorry we took your jewel and can't give it back but I'm afraid this is the only way we can return home."

He scented the remorse on her and shook his head, holding up a hand. "The jewels were meant for you; that is obvious. You have nothing to be sorry for. Lucian, as an ancient I should not have to warn you to protect the woman. Josef, as a growing Carpathian male this is a good chance for you to learn what it means to truly be a man. No harm is to come to the girl even if it costs you your life."

Josef nodded, his barriers hiding the thoughts in his head. To him, protecting Sesshoumaru was just as important as protecting Kagome. He couldn't decide why it was that he had such thoughts; he knew from his father that his multifaceted mind should focus on the darkness, hunting, and women but he had no reason to question them at this time.

"If you will excuse me then I will leave you find the place where the Von Shreiders are staying. I believe that Nicolae and his lifemate are perhaps the closest to us at this moment in time; I will be able to contact him this night. Shall I meet up with you at a later time, say tomorrow perhaps?"

Kagome nodded and they all walked out of the cabin, Zacarias watching from the shadows. It seemed it was once again time to start their journey.

**Bah, sorry that took forever to get out. And that it's so short! I was sitting on W.B. for the past few weeks, wanting to elongate this chapter but whatever. I got it over and done with, and as you can see, finally posted! Anyway, please give me your reviews, my faithful readers, and I'll see about that next chapter coming up!**

**Ayame**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha, and I don't own the Carpathian series by Christine Feehan. Although, I own many of the Carpathian books. The only thing I own is my idea for this fanfiction.**

**A/N: So yeah, I realize it's been...about 3 years since I've updated. I really and truly have no excuse and I don't feel like giving one. I will say this though, I'm moving in a couple of weeks *finally* so lately my mind's been full of packing and what not. But enough of about that; enjoy this long overdue chapter.**

**A/N #2: I also realized, after rereading some chapters, I've been referring to Sesshoumaru as having 'fangs.' I'm too lazy to correct it now, but from now on he'll have proper canines like a dog should.**

"I've realized that, for all that we'll be traveling together, I know next to nothing about the two of you," Lucien commented as he glided through the dense darkness, Josef hurrying at his side.

The two were walking parallel to Sesshoumaru and Kagome, the duo having finally given up on fighting so walk in silence as they made their way to the Von Shreider residence. Zacarias had told them that he and his lifemate were staying near the De La Cruz family for the summer and that they wouldn't need to transform or travel by energy to reach them, thus their steps were unhurried and sure.

"What do you want to know?" Kagome asked, seeing as Sesshoumaru hadn't even bothered to glance at the man after he'd finished speaking. She'd calmed down once they'd started walking again, finding herself far too comfortable with modern clothes to begin bickering with the youkai again.

Lucien halted, sending out a mental call and, when he heard the reply, corrected himself and began leading their small group northwest rather than northeast. After a moment he replied, "You claim to have these 'jewels' that each of the clans hold? How did they come to be?" All Carpathians had an insatiable need for knowledge and Lucien figured it was time he started sating his curiosity. Even he realized it was going to be a long night, simply walking with no conversation.

Kagome bit her lip as she thought back to the time she'd learned of the Jewel's creation, taking a few moments to compile all of her thoughts and knowledge into something coherent. "Well, we only have one jewel in our world, called the Jewel of Four Souls. It was created when a powerful priestess, Midoriko, bound a youkai she was fighting to her spirit. It's said the jewel burst from her body after that final battle, and that their fight continues to rage on within the jewel." Kagome pulled the purified shard she'd collected from beneath her shirt, studying its pale surface.

"These priestesses have powers similar to a mage in our world, I think. Your words also solidify that theory, to create a jewel-a weapon you've called it?-from their own body." Lucien's thoughts drifted to Xavier, the mage who'd destroyed countless races in his quest for power and immortality. He couldn't help but think of what the mage would be able to construct if he'd had knowledge of this jewel, now or in the past.

"She was weak." The statement came from Sesshoumaru who'd been listening to their light conversation with something akin to annoyance. _Why must creatures always seek power from an outside force? Why can they not simply train to make themselves better?_ He could still remember the intense sessions he'd had with his own honourable father to make himself stronger. For people to seek shortcuts for strength made him burn with an inner fury. "Midoriko should have been able to purify all of the demons she fought. Instead, she was held back from her full power by doubts and misgivings. She realized in the end that she was not powerful enough to destroy anything and made a foolish decision, to trap the youkai with herself in a trinket of miniscule power."

_Leave it to Sesshoumaru to call something like the Jewel of Four Souls a trinket,_ Kagome thought with an inward scoff. She pocketed the shard once more as Lucien turned on Sesshoumaru with more questions.

"According to Miss Kagome, this Midoriko was a powerful woman, yet you see her as a weakling? If I am correct in my thinking, she sacrificed herself against a strong foe-"

Sesshoumaru cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "She fought for seven days and seven nights in a battle that should have been decided within hours. If she were as powerful as many liked to claim, she would not have fallen to a creature who resembled Naraku." His lip curled with pale fury at even the mention of the vile hanyou.

"You speak as if you knew the priestess," Lucien commented as he scanned their surroundings; he felt Nicolae and his lifemate coming to meet them, but he knew they wouldn't be meeting up this evening.

At Lucien's words Kagome glanced up, a slight frown marring her pretty features. "That's right! You didn't know Midoriko so how come you're talking like this about her?"

"How do you know this Sesshoumaru did not know the miko?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at the obvious question, giving him a droll stare. "Come on Sesshoumaru, you're old but you're not that old."

The youkai scented the air, refraining from continuing the conversation for a moment. He caught the barest hint of jaguar; they'd been followed from the De La Cruz home but the follower had dropped back many hours before. To be honest, he'd forgotten about them until just then. "You are correct, miko; this Sesshoumaru was merely a pup when Midoriko fought her last. However, his honourable father knew her well and spoke often of her. He spoke of her strengths and her faults, and her weakness of the heart was one of those faults. She should not have perished when she did."

He paused to glance back at Kagome, catching her eye with something that looked suspiciously like anger, although it wasn't directed at her. "The dead miko, Kikyou, was another who was too weak to survive. She fell prey to Naraku and died. She should have stayed as such, but proved herself to be even more weak by returning from the dead and walking among the living."

"Stealing souls..." Kagome muttered, the last comments enough to shut her up. It was no surprise that there wasn't any love lost between Kikyou and Kagome, at first thanks to Inuyasha but recent times had proven a rivalry between the two mikos that transcended mere puppy love.

Josef looked between the two of them, his dark eyes open and curious at the information he was clearly missing. He couldn't help but wonder who this Kikyou was and why her name caused Kagome's scent to change from lovely rainwater to enraged thunderstorms. Whoever she was, Kagome wasn't happy with her. Then, his mind registered what she'd whispered and his eyes widened. "D-did you just say she steals souls?"

Lucien's gaze swung to Kagome, cold, calculating as he waited for her answer.

She worried her bottom lip once more, wincing slightly at the pain. At last, she figured she'd better answer now or face constant questions later. "Well, a few years ago a dark miko Urasue brought Kikyou back to life by trying to steal my soul and put it into her body. But I woke up before she could finish. Now Kikyou wanders, full of hatred and murderous revenge. But she can't survive on those feelings alone, so in order to keep her resurrected body she goes around stealing the souls of others." She shook her head, her own feelings towards Kikyou coming out in her next words, "It's disgusting, but Sesshoumaru's right. If she'd been strong enough, she wouldn't have corrupted the jewel and forced herself to reincarnate in my time." _And I wouldn't have been pulled into the past, and into a doomed love with a hanyou who only saw me as a replacement,_ she thought bitterly.

"That's stupid! Who could see you as a replacement, Miss Kagome?" Josef spoke without thinking, having picked up her errant thought as he walked so close to her.

"Josef," Lucien admonished, catching Kagome's ashamed look as she glared at the young Carpathian.

For his part, the boy looked between the two of them before realizing his mistake, scratching the back of his head as he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to read your mind! Sometimes I forget to shield my mind against other people's thoughts. But I meant what I said." They hadn't been together for very long but he'd grown to like the vibrant young woman with untapped power in her. As such, like any other powerful women he came across, he wouldn't allow her to belittle herself, especially not if she thought of herself as useless because of someone else's words.

"It's okay, really, Lucien," Kagome smiled at him, waving lightly to tell him how little she thought of the comment.

"Careful, miko, that strays perilously close to a lie."

She glared at Sesshoumaru and stamped her foot in anger. "Okay, fine, it's not okay! It annoys me and I hate constantly being compared to Kikyou just because I'm her reincarnation! Are you happy to hear that, Sesshoumaru-**sama**? Does it please you for me to admit I'm just another weak, helpless female who's not strong enough to do much?"

The past events had finally caught up with Kagome and even she admitted, if only to herself, that she was close to her breaking point. The stress, coupled with a new jewel and whatever it was that felt kinship to her in this world, was becoming a bit too much for her mind to take right now and dealing with Sesshoumaru's superior complex and disdain wasn't doing her fragile psyche any good.

The youkai stopped to look at her, his amber eyes not showing the mild indifference she expected them to. Rather, they held a mix of curious companionship and very, very mild concern. As if her brief slip from overly cheerful girl had him worried. The very thought of such a thing was amusing to her and, unwittingly, a grin escaped. When he spotted the twisting of her lips he turned and started walking once more, his mask slipping back into place.

"It is bothersome for me to say this; listen closely so that this Sesshoumaru isn't forced to repeat himself. On several occasions have you proven yourself to stronger than the dead miko. More than once have you shown yourself to be closer in spirit to Midoriko, although it would be a disappointment if you fall prey to the same demise she did." He refused to look back as he spoke. The fact that he was comforting her when she was down was a surprise in and of itself, and he didn't want to look into himself and see why he felt the compulsion to do so. "I also think that if you stood up for yourself more, as you do with the ookami, you would not be compared to Kikyou as much."

The four of them continued on in silence for many long moments, broken by Kagome's simple words nearly ten minutes later. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru." _Thank you for sticking by me all this time, thank you for not killing me, thank you for saying what I needed to hear._ The words remained unsaid yet hung between them like a blanket of warmth.

Rather than acknowledge her comment, however, he stated, "You forget to address this Sesshoumaru by his proper title, miko."

The statement caused a giggle to escape her and all was right between them. The silence lengthened, warmed by a camaraderie that was fast forming. But Kagome wasn't able to stay silent for long and at last she turned to Lucien with a few questions. "Can you tell me what this Nicolae is like? Is he married? Is he the head of his clan, like Zacarias?"

While Josef grinned at her inquisitiveness, Lucien responded with mild detachment. "He is the elder of the two Von Shreiders, yes, but I do not know if he's the head of the clan. He married his lifemate, Destiny, a few months back; I recall Gabriel went to their wedding, but I was unable to make it." He didn't elaborate on the why of that statement, and his look stated it wouldn't do them well to ask. "If I recall correctly, both were infected with vampire blood and the parasites you were injured with."

"Are they okay now?" Kagome wondered, recalling just how painful those parasites had been, even trapped by her power as they'd been. She could only imagine what the full impact of their rampaging through the body would be, and coupled with the poison that was a vampire's blood made her shudder in reaction.

"Yes, Gregori made sure that both of them were healed completely." An empty grin crossed his features. "Had they not been, he would not have been able to face his lifemate safely."

Only half paying attention to their conversation, Josef heard movement from the left and lurched away, blinking when he stumbled against Sesshoumaru who released the softest of growls. _Just a rabbit_, he thought, feeling his temperature rise without his command to flush his cheeks with embarrassment.

Sesshoumaru stepped away from him, although a thought crossed his mind that he was glad he wasn't wearing his armour. It wouldn't do to injure the boy without his knowledge. "You are too jumpy. You must learn to always be aware of what is going on around you, as well as identify what each noise is so that such things do not startle you." It was a lesson his father had reminded him of, and often, until he'd been able to stand in the middle of a forest without responding negatively to any of the various sounds he came across, some of his father's own making.

"We Carpathians only scan the area for danger. Wouldn't it be pointless to be always scanning, dividing my attention like that?" It was a sensible question, or so Josef told himself.

"If you are consistent enough with such training, in time it will not divide your attention so. Such as right now. You should be able to process the dialogue between the miko and Lucien so that if asked, you are able to answer, yet it shouldn't hold all of your attention. You should scent the stream that is two and three quarter miles southwest from us, as well the moisture in the air that signals a storm is brewing. You should be able to identify the seven large animals that are in the immediate vicinity, where they are, and how dangerous they are to your person, yet you shouldn't be afraid as you are the most dominant creature among them." Sesshoumaru's mild gaze flicked to the side, where Josef watched him with awe. "Most of all, you should be aware of the strength that runs through your veins so that you are not hiding in the sidelines behind the miko's barrier."

Josef blinked slowly. He knew a Carpathian processed knowledge like that automatically; even he did to some extent. However, to be able to do what the youkai was suggesting naturally while still moving and to be able to hold a conversation seemed a little impossible to him. At the same time, he'd noticed unconsciously how Sesshoumaru's eyes always seemed to be moving, catching movement here and there. "You can do all that?" He whispered, hero worship causing his eyes to sparkle up at the youkai.

Sesshoumaru looked down at him, paused at the sparkle, and glanced away with a grimace. "It is time you learn how to do so as well. The time to be making the mistakes a pup would is long past. Moreover, this Sesshoumaru cannot trust you to adequately protect the miko if you are constantly hiding behind her. Such an action is not befitting." He noticed that Lucien and Kagome had stopped talking to watch him, both seeming surprised that he'd offered counsel to Josef. He decided it was in his best interest to ignore the both of them; to encourage them to question him would only result in more useless questions that he didn't want to answer.

"Daylight will be approaching soon. This time, you will go to ground with your companion. Tomorrow evening when you wake, I will question you on what you learned about the surrounding area."

"Aw, I've got homework? While I'm sleeping?" His voice suggested how ghastly the thought was even though the sparkle of awe didn't leave his eyes. In fact, if anyone looked at him they would have noted he looked rather pleased to be given such work.

"That is correct. While you sleep, you are to allow your body to continuously scan the area. You are to catalog everything that is living within a five mile radius and be able to recite them to me when you awaken. You are also to tell me which creatures would be potentially dangerous, to both humans and Carpathians, and why you think so." It was yet another lesson his own father had given him. Had he thought about it, Sesshoumaru would have wondered why he was passing on his father's teachings, especially to one who wasn't of his blood, nor a youkai in fact, but Sesshoumaru refused to allow such thoughts to enter his head.

"You are right. Josef, we should go to ground. I will place safeguards around the area to ensure the two of you are protected." Lucien offered as he looked around, finding they'd stopped in an area where he could move the soil to house two Carpathians without disturbing the surroundings.

"It is not necessary, and such things will interfere with the pup's lesson. The miko and I are adequately able to protect your bodies with our own barriers. Go to ground."

Lucien wanted to protest some more and did in fact open his mouth, however Kagome chose that moment to speak up, placing a warm hand on his arm.

"It's alright; Sesshoumaru-sama knows what he's talking about. Besides, I'm sure you'll know if something comes to harm us."

She smiled at him and he felt a trickle of..something he hadn't felt in centuries. He wanted to pause and examine the feeling but it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him feeling cold inside once more. With an inward sigh he nodded, preparing to move the ground while she settled herself beside Sesshoumaru's seated form. There'd be plenty of time to think about it on the next rising.

**And it's done, over with. Why haven't I written this in three years, again? But sorry it's more of an informative chapter than anything, I'm more testing the waters so to speak than anything with this. And before anyone asks, no, Lucien will not be Kagome's lifemate. Anyway, next chapter comes Nicolae and Destiny! Yay.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing except the ideas in my head. Or, if later chapters take me where I think they might, then the original characters I might come up with in this story. That's all.**

**A/N: A new chapter for you guys. Hope you like it! The first part feels like it doesn't fit, I know, but I figured I'd give you guys a tiny, very tiny bit of insight to the future. And then I figured I just don't feel like I want to do that, so you guys kind of got something in the middle. Sorry about that!**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 12  
**

_Her first thought was that she was dreaming. Her second thought was wondering just who it was in her dream. Or rather, __where__ was she in her dream. She had no idea, for she'd never been in this place before. It was a foggy realm that resembled a desert, where shadows danced on the edges of her vision. Wherever this was, she knew in an instant that she didn't like it. It was so..desolate, as if nothing was meant to survive here. There was a fine mist in the air and she shook her head, feeling her damp hair slide slickly across her back._

_There was a soft sound from behind her and she quickly turned, startled when a pair came around faded trees, their arms linked in an embrace only lovers would have. They stopped before her, equal looks of surprise and welcome on their faces._

_"This is a surprise, to see one such as you in this world." The male spoke, his voice strong and sure. It reminded her of another she'd heard not too long ago, as did his features; they were eerily similar._

_"'One such as you?' What do you mean?" Her tone was a tad miffed. She'd always hated being referred to in such ways._

_The woman reached out and grasped her hands, her touch radiating warmth. "We didn't mean it in such a way. We're used to females eminating a light that cleanses all darkness, but you're different. The same, yet very different. What are you doing here?"_

_At her words she suddenly remembered, and glanced around with discontent. "I'm not sure. I closed my eyes and found myself here. But where __is__ here?"_

_The woman pulled her down so that they sat on the ground, the dirt heating up beneath her to make her more comfortable. "You would call it the Shadow Realm, the Land of the Dead, where spirits linger before passing on. Might we know your name? I am Sarantha, and this is my lifemate, Vladimir."_

_"I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi. I suppose my powers mean I'm closer to the dead than most but to actually be in the Shadow Realm? That's absurd." A thought crossed her mind and she gasped. "Did you say Vladimir? As in the previous Prince of the Carpathians?"_

_Vladimir blinked slowly and nodded, watching Kagome with an alertness she'd come to associate with the Carpathians. "I am. You have come to know my son, I take it?"_

_She rolled her eyes at the question. "And Lucien, and Josef, and quite a bit of others, yes."_

_A flash of insight brightened Vladimir's dark eyes and he grinned, a slow smile that made his features even more handsome. "I see. You are the one collecting the stones I distributed." Occasionally, Vladimir was able to perceive the future. The ability hadn't lessened with his death, but he hadn't had such a thing happen in a while._

_"Yeah, that's me, and I've got some questions for you! Just where-"_

_Before she could continue Vladimir held up a hand, silencing her, as Sarantha stood, a look of mild distaste crossing her face. "I'm afraid I can't answer any questions you might have; there simply isn't enough time. As it is, remaining here is far too dangerous for you." He continued when she opened her mouth, refusing to give her a chance to interrupt him. "The spirits here sense your light. They begin to amass, to try to trap you here and devour it."_

_He reached down and pulled her up, reaching back to pull Sarantha with the two of them as they began to walk calmly away from where they'd been, towards a large dead tree. Kagome looked back and saw that a mass of darkness had already appeared in that little spot. She wasn't sure what it was but just the sight of it chilled her to the bone. She turned back and forced her steps to hurry to keep up with the longer strides of the two Carpathians._

_As they walked, Sarantha offered her thoughts. "I don't think you'll be able to return here for a while. In fact, I don't think you were supposed to come here so soon." She glanced at Vladimir for confirmatino and he afforded her a quick nod._

_"When, then? Am I ever going to figure out just what this world has to do with jewel shards?" She stumbled over the words, recalling that Vladimir had reffered to them as 'stones.' She thought they might look like regular stones, albeit precious, to someone who wasn't aware of their worth, but they didn't feel like such._

_Vladimir cocked his head to the side as if he were listening to something. "When you acquire more of these 'shards.' Absorbing their powers will allow you to access the doorways that lead to this realm and others. But you must be careful of the black stones for they will as soon lead you to your death than your future. However, I'm afraid that's all I can tell you. You must hurry and return to your body."_

_They stopped at the tree and he motioned for her to place her hand palm-up on its trunk. The shadows were fading to something far more real and she turned with a grimace, finding Vladimir had disappeared although Sarantha was waiting with one last parting comment._

_"It'll be alright. Lucien served under my lifemate's father; he has an intense honour to him." She frowned suddenly, placing her own palm on the tree. "I'm going to block this doorway so you can't return for a while. It's simply too dangerous, and I have a feeling you've got something to finish before you can lose yourself. Stick close to your protectors, and remember that not everything is as it seems with our people."_

Before Kagome could respond, to ask her just what she meant with that comment, the world dissolved completely and she found herself blinking, face buried in Sesshoumaru's pelt as the scent of animal musk invaded her senses.

She drew her face away with a gasp, breathing in the early evening air with relief. Sesshoumaru didn't smell like wet dog-that'd be far too animal-like for the taiyoukai-but he didn't smell all that great either. At least, his fur didn't. His pelt. Whatever it was.

"You slept for most of the day. Where did your dream take you?"

His voice cut through her musings and she glanced up at him as she pulled away, gratefully gulping down a couple mouthfuls of water from the spare water bottle she'd managed to get ahold of. "How do you know I went somewhere? I could have just been dreaming."

He cast her a look with a raised brow as if to say, 'do you really think I don't know?' and groaned. "Fine, alright? I dreamt of something called the Shadow Realm, or the Land of the Dead apparently. I talked a bit with the parents of that Dubrinsky guy, if they told the truth." She gnawed her thumb nail with an annoyed frown. "Of course, I didn't get to learn anything because apparently the 'dark spirits' or whatever inhabit that realm want to devour me for my miko powers. Why is it that miko powers give me more trouble than anything else?"

Rather than reply the daiyoukai stood, drawing her up with him. He could feel the earth shifting below them, heralding the awakening of their Carpathian companions. He jumped away, grasping Kagome around the waist to ensure she didn't fall into the trench Lucien was creating to allow them to escape the earth's embrace, and glanced down from his purchase feet above the ground in a tree. He was lucky the limbs were strong enough to hold their weight; it would be ungraceful if he had to execute a lengthy and complicated maneuver to avoid crashing into the ground, not to mention he wasn't sure he would retain hold of the miko if he did.

At last the earth stopped its movement and the two tilted their heads up to study Sesshoumaru and Kagome. He could see that Josef wanted to join them; Lucien simply wished for them to come down. He bent his knees, pouring power into his legs to launch himself up and forward, landing in front of the pair as his feet absorbed the impact with little pain to his body. He allowed Kagome to slip from his grasp and turned immediately to Josef.

"Report," he commanded, stifling an annoyed sigh at the whine that escaped the boy. "Do not argue. This Sesshoumaru gave you an assignment and it is time for your report."

Josef bowed his head with a groan however he dutifully began to recite what he'd learned as his body lay in the ground. It was extremely difficult; he'd been asleep in the way of his people, so his heart and breath had stopped and he hadn't been conscious. His mind wasn't supposed to be working and he knew by the look in Sesshoumaru's mildly expressive eyes that he'd missed a lot.

The daiyoukai confirmed his suspicions when he spoke next. "Unacceptable. You missed 27 animals that passed through the area in the early afternoon. Your report on the dangers was adequate enough, however the thought of any breed of monkey being dangerous to you or myself is ridiculous and you will dispense with it at once."

Kagome, having been listening to their interactions, snorted at his words. "Oh come on, Sesshoumaru-sama, it's his first time. To give his 'homework' an unacceptable just because it wasn't perfect is a little harsh, don't you think?"

He turned away, leading their group away after they'd sufficiently cleaned themselves. "Such slights as he exhibited would be fatal if he were alone or in a small group. As this Sesshoumaru plans to allow him some freedom in which to show off his skills in the future, he cannot remain the untrained pup that he is now. He must grow and he must do it swiftly."

Josef cleared the back of his throat as he began to follow, his thoughts in turmoil. No Carpathian had taken an interest in him like this, not even his own father. It was kind of daunting, the thought that'd he finally be under the wing of an older male who planned to teach him, and that it was such a dominating one, more so than any he'd come across except perhaps Gregori. But daunting or not, he knew without a doubt he'd strive to impress his new teacher against all odds and receiving an 'unacceptable' for his first efforts made him feel more ashamed than he cared to admit.

Lucien was having far different thoughts on the matter, though. "Josef is still a fledgling, not to mention these times, while dangerous with errant mages and vampires on the loose, are not as dangerous as when the wars were going on. He does not need to learn many skills a fighter has for a few years yet." He didn't add that Josef already had many of those skills, having been able to study them since he was a child and practice them on his own. Not that his practicing had come to fruition yet but that was another matter entirely.

Sesshoumaru could hear Josef grumble to himself; he'd already been under the impression of how little Josef knew and how little others thought to teach him. This conversation was giving him more insight. "Whether or not he is a pup or an adult, whether there is a war in your lands or you are in peace, he must learn the skills. He should have been taught from the time he was old enough to understand commands the trades of his race." He stated this like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but to him it was. He'd been taught such as had many he knew in the Feudal Era.

"Your father must have been quite the slavedriver." Lucien might have meant it as a joke but his tone was so bland that it was impossible to tell.

"He was a powerful youkai who had lived far longer than any creature had a right to. He taught this Sesshoumaru everything there was to know about battle and strategy. It is his assumption that, had he lived, he would have taught his second son the same way, despite his handicap."

"Handicap?" Kagome's voice was dangerously low, a sign she didn't appreciate Sesshoumaru's use of the word.

"The fact that he is a lowly half-breed."

_And you're a lowly asshole_, Kagome muttered only to herself, not quite wanting to start a fight so early in the evening.

"Half-breed?" Josef questioned, happy to be able to ask a question; it meant he was able to follow their conversation.

Kagome was the one to answer him as Sesshoumaru continued to walk in silence. "Sesshoumaru-sama's father, the Inu no Taishou, took a second mate, a human. Because of that his second son, Inuyasha, was born a mix between a human and a youkai, what we call a hanyou."

"I see.." Josef's voice drifted off as he concentrated on making sure he was still scanning the area. He could feel a pair of cats hunting a mile or so away from them, and something else, it felt almost predatorial to his senses. He forced his senses out further, concentrating, not wanting to send out a mental call yet and be cheated of figuring out who it was. He thought it seemed familiar, like he'd felt it before...and all of the sudden the answer came to him, a memory drudging itself up from the depths of his mind. "Oh! I can sense Nicolae and his lifemate! They're traveling by air to meet us."

"How far away?" Another test, this one he was able to pass.

"Nearly half a mile to the..north-northwest. We should be able to reach them if we hurry in about..ten minutes?" The last part was a question as he wasn't sure how fast the others wanted to travel.

"Acceptable." Sesshoumaru grasped Kagome around the waist once more and took off, not bothering to glance behind to see if Josef and Lucien followed.

They flitted through the trees, startling the creatures that inhabited them. Their passage was quiet for the most part, although as they got closer Lucien sent out a mental call on the path all Carpathians used.

_Nicolae. I and Josef travel with two companions to meet you. We are close._

The reply was immediate, an imperious voice that held little emotion and commanded attention. _Identify yourself as well. I am aware of Vlad's boy._

This time Lucien resisted the urge to sigh. His mild annoyance, something he hadn't expected to feel at all, he ticked off as a by product of Josef's. There was no need to think of it as something else. _I am Lucien Daratrazanoff. The Prince sent me to accompany two visitors to our lands._ It was all truth and yet a partial truth. He knew the Carpathian sensed it, yet he didn't comment on it as he sent one last call.

_I will come to you in a moment, after I retake human form._

The contact cut off and Lucien commented softly, "A moment more and they will come to meet us. We should stop here; it is sufficient cover." He glanced up at the sky, frowning when he noticed the sky was light. It took but a moment's thought to dark it, lightening the effects the last dredges of the dying sun had on his skin.

Without a word Sesshoumaru stopped, jumping away from a piece of earth that sunk down, trying to trap his booted foot. He released Kagome as if she'd burned him, even shaking out his arm as if he'd been grasping a great weight. She grimaced at the movement, going so far as to scowl at him, an expression he ignored. Lucien stopped just feet from Kagome, moving so that he stood in front of her as he faced the pair that was shimmering into existence in front of them. Josef ambled to a stop beside Sesshoumaru, also taking a few steps forward so he could face the two.

Kagome blinked and deepend her scowl, realizing the reflexive action had caused her to miss the impressive feat the Carpathians performed, returning to their human forms as they released the particles of air and light they'd been before. In their place stood a tall, impressive man with a full head of black hair and cool dark eyes that studied their group, his arm wrapped tightly around the pretty young woman who stood at his side. He nodded to each of them although his gaze was fixed on Kagome. She decided instantly that she didn't like the interested gaze.

"Lucien. Josef. The Prince has not spread the information of your companions among us." It was a statement rather than a question.

"I have recently come to the conclusion that knowledge of her existence would bring a mass of vampires on her, as well as draw the attention to Xavier. I believe his decision was the right one." Lucien stated, watching the two of them with the same attention Nicolae gave Kagome, although without the interest.

The woman elbowed her companion before he could reply, smiling disarmingly at them. "Sorry about him; he's a little odd being so close to harm. I'm Destiny, and this is Nicolae. I'm pleased to hear the rumours of you turning vampire were wrong, Lucien." He nodded at the comment but didn't offer any more words. "I believe you wanted to see us?"

Kagome murmered in affirmation as Josef took up vigil beside her. She could feel the heat from his body, something she hadn't noticed when they'd traveled together before. Had he always been so hot? The errant thought was pushed to the back of her mind as her senses caught on something far in the distance and she turned towards it, all of her attention becoming engrossed in identifying what she had noticed, despite its faintness and that it seemed to seek to hide from her.

Sesshoumaru noticed her occupation and, while he wasn't sure what was bothering her, he knew it drew her attention away and now he was forced to converse with the pair as his companions knew some of what they looked for, and not all. "It is our understanding that Vladimir Dubrinsky gave each of the clans a jewel which we seek. As such, we came to you as we are led to believe that you hold one such jewel."

"A jewel..." Nicolae murmered, taking his attention from Kagome for a single moment to study the daiyoukai. "A jewel from the previous Prince, at that. May I ask what is so important about it?"

"You may not."

Nicolae grinned in wry amusement at the immediate answer, ignoring another quick jab from Destiny. "Fair enough. Why does your 'miko' need it then?"

"You do not need this information in order to hand over the jewel if it is in your possession."

_This man is rather...frustrating,_ Nicolae admitted to his wife, refusing to allow his amusement to falter.

_He's not so bad. I'm sure he's only doing this because he's protective of his own girl, just like you are._ She offered the explanation without looking at him, a secretive smile playing on her lips at their intimate conversation.

_Be that as it may._ However, Nicolae accepted the explanation with a slight shrug. "Very well. I will admit I'm curious as to why your companion doesn't offer anything to this conversation. Do we bore her?" He returned his gaze to Kagome; Destiny didn't object the attention because she knew it wasn't remotely sexual, merely curious.

Josef, who hadn't been listening to the conversation and instead been stretching his senses to follow where he thought Kagome was searching, bit his lip so hard it bled as his hands clenched at his sides. He'd had little to fear since his conception yet a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck-he knew if he reached back to wipe it away his fingers would be smeared with blood-and he fought to work past the thick lump in his throat to warn them.

"T-there's something g-going on over there. Not v-vampires but-" He broke off when everyone turned to look at him, shrugging as he hunched his shoulders.

Sesshoumaru was the first to look away, stepping up to grasp Kagome's shoulder and shake her roughly, causing her to break whatever concentration she'd had to the commotion away. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and looked up at him with confusion shining brightly in her eyes.

"What do you feel?" He questioned her, ignoring the others for the moment.

"I'm not sure. It reminds me of Tsubaki, when we came across her after she sent her shiki after me." "A dark priestess?" "No..."

"A dark mage." Josef whispered the words with a chill. If he was picking up the right images from Kagome then it was similar enough, and if she was right, then Xavier was already on the move.

**Dun dun dun. I'd continue here but I don't feel like writing anymore tonight and I wanted to give you guys the chapter as soon as possible. What in the world can happen next? Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of it!**


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I'd completely forgotten about this guys and I'm really sorry for it, but once again Dark Days will be on hold, although the amount of time I'm not sure about. I'd said before I was planning to move, and in a couple of weeks I'll be out of my childhood home and in an 'intermediate' home before the actual state move. Next week and the week after will be devoted to packing and making sure everything is all done before moving. The point of saying this and why Dark Days, as well as my other stories, will be on hold is the home I'll be staying out doesn't have internet for me to upload any stories on. Will I work on chapters even though I don't have the net? I plan on it, yes. But I'll be gone from anywhere to a couple months to half a year before having internet again, assuming. I'm still working on the newest chapter but my internet at this house has been wonky, shutting itself off for days on end, so I have no idea if I'll have time to upload it when it's finished before moving. Anyway, that's my news, so I hope you guys can wait patiently until I'm completely moved!

Ja ne,

Ayame


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story idea and possible OC's. All rights, characters, books, and what not belong to their respective owners. I merely use them to provide my readers with enjoyment and stir the creative spirit.**

**A/N: I realized this the other week when I was rereading this story, familiarizing myself with what'd I'd written and it slipped my mind until now, not to mention I refuse to change it because, well, I don't want to. But I made a reference to the Christmas party in Dark Celebration, a book that came ****after**** Lucien's book, where he met his lifemate, not to mention that in Dark Celebration it mentions Lucien's woman Jaxon several times. That's why, under my reasoning and ability as an author, rather than change the story I figured I'd just say that nix Lucien's book from happening, and allow him to be single for the series even while other later couples aren't.**

**Dark Days**

**Chapter 13**

After the words escaped Josef, the rest of them moved quickly. Both Nicolae and Destiny let out dark hisses of anger, drawing Sesshoumaru's attention away from Kagome and what she stared at. As he studied the both of them, he could practically see their minds working, the ideas they were sifting through showing through in their eyes. He'd often seen the same workings with his father and the generals of his army.

"What are you planning?" He demanded, his lip curling with the anger that swirled beneath his calm exterior. Even from this far his skin crawled at whatever was causing a commotion. It was an unfamiliar sensation and one he didn't want to experience again. Therefore he had to destroy whatever caused the sensation.

Nicolae glanced about even as he sent out a call to all of the warriors nearby. "There is only one dark mage about in this world, a foul creature who goes by the name of Xavier. His most recent offenses include taking control of his grandson Razvan to rape countless women and murder even more men. He plots the demise of our Prince and will use any means necessary to meet that end." He paused to look at Kagome, his eyes hard and unyielding. "We know he captured and raped a Carpathian woman who wasn't his lifemate, killing her male and fathering three children from her, seeking his own immortality. I shudder to think of what he would do to a woman with the power this girl holds."

"He may try to take her under my watch. Should he succeed then he will die, no matter if he controls the elements as your kind do or other dark creatures." Sesshoumaru was thinking of the time Naraku had dared to kidnap Rin. He'd retaliated, swiftly and deadly, many times over.

"You can't be so conceited as to think it'll be that easy. We've all been after Xavier at one time or another. He's destroyed more Carpathians than we can count. He infected the Jaguar race and turned them into merciless beings! He possibly sent the Guardians, the wolves, into hiding so that no other race can find them!" Destiny gasped out the words, startled at the audacity of the creature before them. She'd known some men who thought themselves invincible but this man took the cake, saying he would take on the dark mage no one had had a hope of defeating, not even his own family.

The daiyoukai turned, scalding her with a withering look that was all power and defiance. "It is not conceit if it is the truth. Your race has many flaws that even this Sesshoumaru has noticed in his short time in this world. And that is perhaps the biggest strength to Kagome and myself. We are not from this world. This 'dark mage' will not be expecting the powers that we hold." For a moment the tips of his right hand's fingers glowed green, disappearing after a second as if they hadn't been there at all. "Miko."

Kagome turned at his voice, raising her eyebrow in question.

"You were once in the thralls of a dark priestess, correct? If this Sesshoumaru recalls, you were near powerless against her because you lacked control of your miko energy. The same could be said of now. Mages are powerful beings in their own right, especially if they tamper with the energies of the earth. It would be foolish to allow you close to the enemy."

"I agree. She must be protected at all costs. Josef will stay with her at our home, behind the safeguards of three Carpathians." Nicolae's tone brooked no argument and the young Carpathian backed down without voicing one objection, despite what he wanted to do. Nicolae nodded in approval and turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. "I assume you wish to join the battle with us? I thought so." He almost sighed at Sesshoumaru's condescending glare.

All of them were surprised with Kagome didn't offer protests of her own at being handed off to run into a protective home. Rather, she had a pensive look on her face, almost as if she were afraid, an emotion she hadn't shown to her company in all the time they'd been spending together. She nibbled her lip as she thought, continuously glancing in the direction of the dangerous enemy she'd sensed.

"Sesshoumaru, I don't like this. That guy-mage, or whatever-feels much worse than Naraku ever did. It feels like...like it's Naraku mixed with...well, I hate to say it but your father. All that power in one being is frightening to say the least, even if you're the one going after him. And you don't-" She cut herself off, stopping before she reminded him of his one fault, the fact that he'd lost his left arm to Inuyasha's blade so long ago.

His renewed glare, turned in her direction, told her that he'd heard her unspoken words and didn't approve of the reminder. "This Sesshoumaru may not have bested his honourable father all of the times we sparred against one another, but he was the strongest youkai in the lands so it was reasonable. This mage may be powerful but he is not _all-powerful_. He will fall, by my hand or others, it matters not." He stopped to catch Josef in his eyes. "You will be resting with the Miko, and if harm should fall to her it will be on your head. Should enemies manage to get through this Sesshoumaru's protections, as well as those of your brethren, you will need to upon the meager strength you hold to protect her. Am I understood?"

Josef gulped and nodded, not trusting his voice at the absolute command he heard in the daiyoukai. There was something to be said for being trusted with the protection of another though, and pride as well as hope swelled in his chest at the thought of such an important job. His eagerness must have shown in his eyes for Sesshoumaru gave a barely discernable grimace and turned away.

"I'll take you two to the house before I rejoin Nicolae and Sesshoumaru. Come along."

Destiny smiled at the both of them as she waved them away from the trio who were both preparing for a battle, although they made no movement. It was in the air, a shimmer of strength that was coalescing around the two like an armour created of power. It was a heady scent that tingled on her senses and she had to force herself away, to lead the young woman and near child away from danger.

Once they had disappeared Sesshoumaru turned to Nicolae, an unreadable emotion in his heavy gaze. "You allow your mate to battle with you?" Such a thing wasn't unheard of in his time as many took mates who were just as powerful as themselves, but it was still rare.

"I taught her since she was a child how to battle the vampire. While a mage is different and exceedingly more difficult to fight, I trust in her skills." Nicolae snapped, annoyed that a stranger was daring to tell him how to handle his life and the life of his wife. He received enough grief from other Carpathians, Gregori usually, about allowing Destiny to battle with him; he didn't need more from this youkai.

Sesshoumaru's gaze turned thoughtful but no less reproachful. "Even if she is with pup?"

The very slight widening of his pupils was the only indication Sesshoumaru had that Nicolae hadn't known his wife was carrying his child. Truth be told, it was understandable considering the scent was very slight; had he not been paying attention even he wouldn't have noticed it.

"Are you positive? No, I think you're a frightening truthful man. But tell me this; how can you tell? Even I haven't sensed any life within Destiny's body, no child reaching out its mind to connect with its parents." A Carpathian always knew. The child would be psychic, like its parents, and would need the constant reassurance their mind would offer to believe itself safe inside its mother's womb. So how had this stranger known?

He withheld a wince when Sesshoumaru passed him a look that said he clearly doubted his intelligence. "Youkai always know. When a female's heat passes and she's been pupped, her scent changes minutely. It is a very small difference that one must either be looking for, or must be very attuned to the female to notice. It is very faint, therefore it is a probable guess that the pup hasn't developed enough to reach out with its mind." He caught Lucien looking at him and turned away from the uncomfortable gaze. Really, why must these people always much such a big deal out of his comments? Surely they would have noticed in time; he merely sped it up, reminding the man of the danger his mate took while in battle. Although even he admitted to surprise when he detected the very faintest hint of fear in the man's scent, immediately hidden as if he supressed the emotion. Odd yet amusing, and one of the marks of a true warrior.

"She will still fight. If I do not at least keep her at my side, she will run into more danger and that isn't something I can forgive." He thought quickly and continued, "I will warn the healers of her condition and make sure one is nearby should anything happen." He made a mental note to inform Nicolas and his lifemate Lara of the infant, although he didn't relish the idea of burdening Lara with another harrowing task of hunting microbes.

"You have an extraordinary resemblance to an animal," Lucien commented, deciding it was the best thing to say rather than berate the other Carpathian for endangering a female of their race. He was one of the more steadfast in the theory that all women should be holed up under many protections rather than out on the battlefield but unfortunately many didn't share his view. _Well, many of those that have modern lifemates,_ he amended his thought. _If I manage to find my lifemate before choosing to meet the dawn, I will not allow her into battle._(1)

Quick as a flash Sesshoumaru's eyes bled red, returning to gold once more as he regained control of his anger. "While it is true my species often resemble animals, to be compared to one of those senseless creatures is an insult this Sesshoumaru will not forgive a second time. Hold your tongue in the future," he hissed although his tone still remarkably remained dispassionate.

Rather than dignify that with a response Lucien returned to the matter at hand. "Xavier is the only dark mage we are aware of, correct? It is rumoured he killed all of the other ones. However, to go against him unprepared would not be smart. Before we investigate we need to plan ahead."

"For what purpose? We go to destroy a man who has chosen to renounce a profession that apparently afforded him great honour and reknown. Do not try to complicate the matters by seeking to predict his every move." Sesshoumaru could remember before when his companion had conversed with the creature called vampire, an endeavor that had been pointless except for the tactic of distraction. Such a tactic with a creature who was apparently powerful to every race would be equally pointless, if not more so and would endanger them all.

"We need to plan for not all of us should reveal ourselves and attack at once. Xavier has been known to command large creatures from the earth which inject poisons and parasites into someone's body that destroy them from the inside out, as well as provide him with a connection to whomever he attacked. Such a thing would lead him to our people and our Prince which would be unforgivable." Nicolae didn't like to belittle other warriors, especially not others who displayed their strength so openly and without intention, but he felt the need to warn the daiyoukai all the same. "You may have fought others of great strength but Xavier isn't like them. He's had many years to perfect his experiments, and used those of Carpathian and Dragonseeker heritage to make himself stronger. Do you understand what that means? He controls powers from many races besides being a powerful mage. Age has done nothing but make him stronger."

"This Sesshoumaru has fought worse and prevailed. He will do so again."

Nicolae could do nothing but shake his head at the folly of this youkai. The young often thought the same way as he but they were quick to change their opinions when they saw the horrors Xavier wrought with merely marginal control over vessels. Still, he couldn't very well share his memories with the youkai, as much as his good sense urged him to, to help Sesshoumaru see that he shouldn't underestimate the mage. However, Lucien caught his eye and gave a barely imperceptible shake of his head, signaling him to let it go. He inwardly sighed but agreed.

"Very well. Just make sure to watch yourself. Xavier hasn't fought one such as you before. Perhaps you will confuse him long enough to let down his guard and we may be able to defeat him, or at least injure him enough that he'll return to whatever hole he crawled from." He didn't add that it was an extremely unlikely possibility. Many others had tried and failed at what they were about to attempt, both of equal strength and greater.

"Believe what you will. We will win because there is no other choice." Sesshoumaru stated it as a fact, as if there was no other choice. His decisive words sparked answering confidence in the Carpathians yet neither could get rid of their doubt and apprehension completely.

The three turned as one as Destiny returned, sidling up to her husband with a loving look that was quickly replaced with determination. "Have you decided how we'll attack?" She immediately asked, her calculating gaze flicking first from Nicolae, to Lucien, and finally resting on Sesshoumaru.

They hadn't truly discussed what they'd planned on doing but planned on attacking in ways that complimented their attack style. Nicolae had caught two thoughts directed at him as well: both would accept whatever plan he had for his lifemate. With that in mind he turned to Destiny and commanded, "You will hide with Lucien from Xavier. He is not to know you are even nearby, no matter what happens. Only when Sesshoumaru and I are in danger of losing our lives are you to step in, and only with Lucien at your side."

Destiny wanted to argue at his command but caught the look in his eye, as well as his thoughts. _It is not because I wish you protected from the battle. I need you to watch Xavier's every move as we will be doing, looking for openings. If you see one, attack from the shadows but never reveal your location. I need a second pair of eyes to watch my back, one I know I am able to count on. Lucien may be powerful but he is not one I trained personally._

Destiny grinned as a surge of love filled her at the trust he placed in her, an emotion she'd fought for so long before finally giving in. She reached up and brushed the tips of her fingers across his cheek, her only outward sign of affection before nodding. "Are we ready? The sooner we do this, the better for the two we placed under protection."

"We are. Lucien, Destiny."

The two nodded and seemed to disappear; Sesshoumaru could feel their unique energies in the air only because he sought their location. He knew that had he not been paying attention he would have missed their exit and wouldn't have known where they were placing themselves. Without waiting for the other he started forward to where he felt the shift in the natural energies of the world, feeling the tingle along his skin that signaled someone was tampering with somethign unnatural. Had he not been under the attack of Kagome's miko arrows often he might associate the feeling with purification but this was much darker, not nearly as pure and innocent as her power. His mind turned in disgust. Someone was seeking a power they had no hope to control.

If they managed to complete their work it was quite possible they'd destroy themself all on their own. Whatever happened, it'd be better for all of them and the world.

**Forshadowing? I have no idea honestly. XD I know where this story is going but bits and pieces haven't filled themselves in yet. We'll see. Anyway! This will be the LAST chapter for quite a few months. I'd planned on it being much longer with this fight with whatever's up ahead (come on, I bet you guys have guessed what's going to happen, am I right?) but then you would have been left with this dastardly cliffhanger that you would have hated so I decided to spare you and leave you simply wondering on the batle. Please be patient, and review with what you think might happen! I'm curious to hear what you think. tbc...**

(1) I just had to say this: OH THE IRONY of that statement, for those of you who've read Lucien's book.


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